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When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Mojitos
Here’s how I turned what I thought was a life-disaster into the best thing that ever happened to me.
My dream job as a grant-writer for a non-profit ended in classic high drama.
Just after lunch I was ordered to pack my belongings and be escorted out of the building, just like you see on TV! How humiliating! To walk the halls, carrying my box, everyone STARING AT ME!
After almost 3 years, why was I fired? I brought in tons of money, huge new grants from foundations like The Bank of America Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Foundation, and the single largest first-time grant ($20k) from a new funder!
They said I didn’t understand their programs enough to be writing about them…I suspect it was because I had uncovered what I prefer to call “sloppy” accounting.
In my mid-60s, my plan had been to work 3 more years and retire to a sunny overseas local where I could live on a small nest egg and my social security. Multi-marriages and lack of planning — embarrassing in hindsight — meant my choices would be to continue working or find a way to live on less.
