So, two Mormon misisonaries walk into a Hare Krishna temple...

... and on Tuesday, I was laid off.

Yeah, I know, it's a shock. Hell, I was shocked, too. I figured that, being the little fish that I was in the big media ocean, I would be safe from lay-offs.

Think again.

There are people that may delight in the demise of newspapering, and then there are the people who know that when there are no newspapers left we will be poor in culture and understanding. I fit into the latter, despite the fact that I was one of 200 journalists and employees cut from the staff of The Dallas Morning News.

It feels good to finally be able to say what company I worked for since I've been keeping it under wraps for so long.

I should also say that there are absolutely no hard feelings. I loved my job and I will miss going to work every day to produce the best newspaper and online content as possible, but I know what predicament newspapers are in and why they would let inexpensive employees go so that they might stay afloat, even though their boyancy might be short-lived.

Also, nothing about this transition will change the fact that I still believe in what newspapers do. I want to think that what happened to me and 199 other talented journalists was a forced reconciliation of new opportunities, although I'm sure that long-tenured reporters and editors will not feel that way, at least right now.

So, after having lunch at one of my favorite restaurants with one of my favorite people, I've re-examined life and what I've set out to do on this big blue-green marble.

And the image of the two Mormon missionaries being led through the Hare Krishna temple, which also houses my aforementioned favorite restaurant, was priceless. They wore fresh, close-cut hair, nicely pressed bright white short-sleeved shirts anchored with an austere black necktie while toting around snug-fitting backpacks to which their bike helmets were dutifully clasped. They tailed the Hare Krishna devotee, clad in yellow and white robes that skimmed the floor and his practical sandals. The mystic was their guide, though they didn't look at him with skepticism, I think. They, as mystics as well, had an understanding.

Good things will come, hopefully they'll follow closely.