A Twist of Fate

I’ve been employed my entire adult life. No break between gigs, the most recent one lasting over 40 years. Full time work. No short weeks. No time off even during COVID. But soon, I will be unemployed. It’s hard to wrap my mind around this. I don’t know how to do adulting without being someone’s employee. I’ve been so dedicated to my job for so long, I don’t know how to untangle the “work me” from the “non-work” me. I’ve been all in, giving my job all I have. I worry I’ve tied my existence too tightly to my position. So where do I go from here?
I think I’ll start with trying to get the air back in my lungs and my feet back underneath me. Try to learn who I am without the tie to a job. I never understood people saying they needed to "find themselves”. But I do now. 
Then I want to attack my house with a vengeance. Do all the things I haven’t had time to pay attention to with all the hours I’ve worked. There are walls to paint, closets to clean, cupboards to sort, deep cleaning to do. My hope is that I’ll find clarity in the mundane; that inspiration will strike with the stroke of a brush, a swipe of a dust-rag, or a push of a broom. 
I hope I’ll be able to focus more on my family, strengthen my relationships, and be more present in conversations; without all the work stuff buzzing around in my head. 
And finally, find time to pursue my passion, my writing. I want to spend some time on the characters swirling around in my mind just begging to tell their stories. Get them out of my head and down on paper. Spend more time in the query trenches soliciting representation on the books I’ve finished and go full speed ahead on the one I have in progress. 
I may look back on this and laugh at my naivete. There’s a chance things may not go as planned; that the sequential order I’ve outlined will be laughable. Mainly because I know myself. I’ll likely try to do them all at once, simultaneously, then learn what works and what doesn’t. But having a plan gives me a sense of security, and that’s the best I can do for now.