Losing my job is a tangible fear for me, mainly because my husband is retired (disability) AND all four of us are on my office's health insurance.

what I was now facing was an opportunity, even if it had crashed the party wearing a keenly unhip set of threads.
I loved this phrasing. The fact that you got there so quickly is a sign of how resilient you are.

The phone call from the company's biggest competitor... this sounds as if the layoffs could be a decision your company might later have regretted. Did they?