Some people might argue that at 26 I am already a "grown up" but I still feel like I'm searching for the very "adult" situation of having a job that pays a decent amount of money and provides health insurance.
It's one of those things that makes me shake my fist at the sky and demand if that is too much to ask for: Enough money to pay my bills and health insurance.
I feel really happy and accomplished today because it was my first day off in what seems like a really long time. In reality, it's my first day off since Memorial Day, but working 7 days a week between two jobs makes this day off all the more appreciated. I got to sleep in, have a cup of coffee and put on jeans, a t-shirt and flip-flips. (For the record, I love flip-flops and would wear them all the time, if I could. Alas, work dress codes dictate otherwise.) This afternoon I volunteered and helped with a booth at a local arts festival.
Now I am relaxing at home, browsing the internet as thunder rumbles in the distance. It's been a lovely day!
I know it's not forever. It just keeps me busy and leaves very little free time, but I don't want to fall behind in my bills. I want to be independent and take care of things myself. That's why this blog is over a month behind in my posting goal. I've been adjusting to my new job and my very full work schedule.
I do feel kind of restless at the moment. There's so much I want to do, and it's hard to remind myself that I have more time than I think to do accomplish things. My routines feel pretty monotonous right now, but as Dan has told me several times,
"There's something to be said about having a job you don't hate."
and I find this to be certainly true. My feelings about my job at the law office are fairly neutral right now. The time I'm there seems to go by fairly quickly and there is plenty for me to do. My coworkers and supervisors are reasonable and when I get home, I don't feel like a ball of stress and anxiety.
At the moment my plan is to keep working at the grocery store until my credit card debt is eliminated. Nobody plans on losing their job - I certainly didn't - so the payments I was making on my cards took a hit. I know it's short-term debt, but I really want to pay it off.
- Dental work. I have a cavity and a missing filling, both on the lower right side of my mouth. I want to get those taken care of.
- Eye appointment. I'm due for new contacts in August. I need to start saving money to pay for my examination and my yearly supply.
- Previously mentioned credit cards. I want to pay off the lingering balances.
- My wedding. I want to start saving money for this event. Right now I don't know when that will be happening and being asked that sort of question is stressful and loathsome, but I want to start putting money away.
- Creative work. I want to start writing again. I realized the other day that I really miss it and want to pick up the story I had started for this past NaNoWriMo. (My secret-not-so-secret goal is to write a piece of fiction and get it legitimately published someday. Someday.)
- Volunteer work. Get more active in my community. My work hours are weird, but I want to get involved and do stuff.
- Exercise more. I have really fallen off the track since I started working two jobs. What I need to do is to get out of bed at 6am and go run. I always feel accomplished after a run.
- Get to bed earlier. This will help me accomplish #7.
I've taught elementary music. I've done some freelance writing. I've done some marketing work. Now I'm doing some data entry/office work and working at a cash register. All with varying degrees of success and happiness.
Right now, if you asked me what my ideal job would be, I wouldn't have an answer other than "I don't know." There are many things that I like... But quite frankly, I don't think I've found it yet. I'm still looking.
Maybe it hasn't found me.
"When I grow up I want to be either a ninja, a spy or an astronaut. I think I will probably have to try each one to see what I like best." -My youngest brother, Stephen. Spoken to me when he was about 6 years old.