Sylvia's Journal

After a sleepless night at the very last row of the plane, I am now in Paris in the K-hall lounge, dizzy with sleep. I was too late to get the complimentary face massage from Clarins – all 20 minute sessions booked for the morning. I probably would have gone to sleep. One has to get in on the first flight in the morning to get a slot it seems. Word has spread about this nice part of the lounge experience.

I am trying to use up my global upgrades that Delta offers to its frequent flyers. All four of them go ‘poof’ at the end of September. I am waitlisted and competing for three open seats in B-class to Boston- calling on the powers in the universe to get one of those.

The same boss who gave me the news of the termination of my position has now resigned herself to take up a post in Geneva. She is leaving a week before me. Strange how things can change on a dime – and probably a good thing we don’t have a crystal ball.

I am drawing on my daughters’ experience with rate setting and contracting – it’s a new world for me and I want to start it right – no regrets later, oh I wished I had…But it is causing some anxiety,

Of the three jobs that I thought I had in my pocket just weeks after I had been notified of my departure from MSH two have been cancelled already. I will not go to Saudi Arabia (hoping for next year) and I will not teach an online OB class this summer for Simmons College (not enough registrations). Only the very brief Japan trip in September is on.  I have been given the go ahead to buy my ticket.

Each time a door closes another one opens. Soon after the cancellation of the Saudi project I was invited to compete for a contract of an organization MSH has partnered with and competed with in the past.  And within a day of learning about the Simmons cancellation a former colleague who now works elsewhere in the global health space has approached me about a gig in Senegal. This is my new reality – welcome says Axel as he’s been there. The question now is, how many days of the year do I actually want to work? And do I want to continue going to hot and dusty places, leaving beautiful Lobster Cove during the best months of the year?