Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

As Nina Simone so memorably sang,

It's a new dawn.
It's a new day.
It's a new life... for me.
And I'm feeling good.

Well, I'm actually feeling pretty tired. But this is the first day of the rest of my life, so what do you expect?

I worked my last day of my job yesterday. My high profile, high stress job that was full of constant human interaction and rewards that most people can only dream of in their professions. My job that I mostly enjoyed. My job that was how I was defined by many, maybe even how I partly defined myself.(?)

Gone.

Done.

Over.

I am lucky to say in 2009 that I left my job by choice. (Lucky, stupid - I have trouble with my adjectives at times.) I am very lucky to say that I have other work lined up that will pay the bills in the short and long terms. I am working in law enforcement now. I will be working in a law office eventually. I am lucky.

But Nina Simone neglected to mention that the new dawn of the new day in a new life feels mostly quiet and foreign.

And messy. My former office held 10 boxes of books, 5 large boxes of miscellany, 2 pieces of furniture that were mine, a queen sized quilt, roughly 2 dozen pieces of art, and hundreds of files in paper and e forms. Then there was the wardrobe full of work clothes. Those are neither done, nor gone, nor over. They are sitting in my living room. And my car. And a friend's garage.

I have spent the past two months NOT posting to this blog as I decided what to do with it after I left the job that made me take up blogging in the first place. In a sense, it has been sitting in the middle of my living room getting tripped over, too.

If I end the life of this blog, it will be after the living room is clean. Since that will be awhile, and anyone in their right mind would choose cleaning a website over cleaning their real house, I did some redecorating around here. If only to prove to myself that I can still locate my right mind.

6 comments:

virginia bed and breakfast said...

Yes you are right my struggling buddy
every day in our life is new exciting
thrilling we should start our every new day in life with full enthusiasm,
keenness. Whether it is our new job, or new day in old consistent job we should work like a mad with complete energy devoted to that organization.
This is my point if view to you.
keep hard working and never be despair.

Anonymous said...

Alane, I hope you will continue your blog, so that we can in some sense stay connected. Hundreds of people from First UU miss you already. Rarely can a minister relate to all church members, from newborn to seniors, so well as you do. We all love you. Carroll Simms

Lilylou said...

I have missed you these past two months. And I've wondered how you are. Please consider staying in touch.

Chalicechick said...

Wow. Good luck!

Adam Byrn "Adamus" Tritt said...

I, for one, hope you do not give up this blog. Allow it to change as you do.

Right mind? How does one define something like that? We trick ourselves into thinking we can examine our own minds. But a finger cannot feel itself nor an eye see itself. Even in a mirror, the reflection is never the thing.

So, who are you? How is your mind? it's better just to look at the sky and sit when you sit and do when you do.

Ann Woodlief said...

I hope your living room never gets clean, because I would HATE to see your blog end. Please stay!!!!! Your combination of deep and hilarious thoughts make my day.