And so it’s April 4.

It was a year ago, on this very day, that I received a phone call that I don’t think anyone can truly say they are prepared for – that I was being laid off.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I knew it was coming. I knew almost 72 hours before the call was made that it was likely happening and that I was going to lose my job.

When I awoke on that Wednesday to an email on my phone about a meeting, I knew exactly what it was. I was as prepared mentally as I could have been. I was one of approximately 2,000 people that received that same phone call that day.

I could have folded. I could have crumbled.  And believe me, at times I did. It took six months before I truly found my footing again.

But, here I am, one year later, in a much better place, and arguably happier than I’ve ever been.

One of the client projects I’m currently working on at Ten Fast Feet is with a Nashville-based company that works with amputees and helps fit them with prosthetic devices. I had the opportunity several weeks ago to spend two days with some truly amazing people who have survived, at least in some cases, horrific ordeals.

But the one man that really made an impact on me was Billy. Billy – an accomplished drummer about my age – lost his left leg due to cancer and is now fitted with one of the most high-tech prosthetic knees and legs available today.

He told me, as we were chatting, that he celebrates the day he lost his leg. It’s the day he became cancer-free. And so it’s a day worth celebrating.

Whew. Perspective, right?

I have so much to be thankful for.

So I choose to celebrate April 4. It was a tough day. But it was the day the rest of my life began.

Thanks to those of you who have been there with me every step of the way.