I won’t be working next week. My employer gave me an unpaid week off, the way it gave everyone an unpaid week off, so I’ll be puttering around the house for a few days.

Here’s the damndest thing: I feel grateful. The carnage is everywhere in the media world, and thousands of journalists have been laid off with little hope of returning to their profession. Amid that reality, a mere week without pay feels almost like a gift.

The problem is also leavened by the fact that I work for a nonprofit. I’ve worked for some big media companies, and when they cut staff, it usually was to make sure the shareholders stayed greased. And I never saw a lot of suffering in the executive ranks of those companies when the sword went through the rank and file.

So I’ll take my week off without pay, and look forward to better times.