I used to work for a large corporate office of a massive retail chain. My last position with that company was as a project manager for a huge project. I loved what I was doing, I did it well. Prior to that I was in system support for that company and through my adult career I held the same position for a couple other large companies.
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| I tried to surround myself with happiness at work |
In December of 2010 I found myself sitting at my desk crying and realized "No one is financially dependent on me anymore, why am I still doing a job I never wanted??" When I went to college right out of high school (Actually, I was still in high school when I went to college overlapping my senior year of college and my freshmen year of high school) I was a biology major, theater minor.. and I then spent the next 20 years of my life sitting in front of a computer. I had stayed in that position through horrible bosses, 2 hour commutes, and other unhappy situations because I was a single mother and needed to keep a roof over my kids head. That was no longer the case.... I realized I could be free!
So, (keep in mind the economy at the time and you will realize how horrible my work situation was.. actually like I said, I liked what I did... just NOT for who I was doing it for) I quit my job, gave up my apartment and car..... and went and hiked the Appalachian Trail obviously.
Long distance hiking is something I honestly believe everyone should do at least once in their life. It doesn't have to be a massive distance... just be out in the woods.... with your thoughts.. and everything you need on your back for oh.. a long weekend. It puts everything in perspective. You realize the important things in life. Where is the next water source, and is it going to rain. Not who said what to whom, and what someone was wearing, and if a report might be a day late.... much less that you are stuck in commuter hell traffic and might be 3 minutes late to work even though you worked 50 hours already that week. After hiking the Trail (I made it 850 miles before deciding to come home) my life was extremely different. I paired my life down to the essentials. I moved back into an apartment in my mother's house and worked at a friend's restaurant. My only bills were my cell phone and helping my mother with the electric. I then worked part time at a small tax office for tax season. One of the perks there was that they did my tax return. Lo and behold when you used to have a pretty high tax bracket and only worked 1/4 of the year.... you get back a LOT in taxes! I took the rest of the year off and just did a few things here and there to make some pocket money. This lasted through the summer and into the fall. Although, my Awesome August Adventure (I'm sure I will have to blog that one now) pretty much took up the bulk of my money reserves and I decided it was time to go back and get a job.
I ended up finding a part time position as a receptionist at an outpatient mental health clinic. Nothing I thought I would ever do. I started out working 12 hours a week and am now full time. I love it. I love the people I work with. I love the work I do. I love the people I deal with. And most of all, I love who I work for. I can honestly say I am friends with everyone I work with. I don't go a week without thinking to myself "I love my job!" I make a fraction of my previous income, but my stress is even smaller than that! Anyway, that is where my time has been going. I have been documenting adventures over the past 6 months with the intention of blogging them, so hopefully I can catch up!
