South of the South

This is the part of downsizing you don’t see after being laid off. It may be hard to imagine, but in some aspects it’s harder to look at than be a part of: it is dark, quiet, empty. Lonely. The boxes packed of each ex-coworker’s personal effects left behind resonate the absence of a fun workday with friends. Being laid off must feel like passing from death into the afterlife. Your existence goes on. Things keep going. You find a new type of life. But back here on the other side, you are missed.