Now that I've quit

My fall has been very full - and mostly of good and wonderful things. For the past three months I've been driving a middle schooler (Sky) to and from school most days in exchange for a car, gas money, and a weekly stipend for the nights when her mother is on call and I stay overnight with her (and have to put up with the great dane and the two cats wanting to sleep with me).  Two months ago I started a hostessing position at the Melting Pot where I great and seat guests for 3-5 hour shifts 4 to 5 times a week. And a few weeks ago I started training as a receptionist/social media manager for a small chiropractor's office where my friend Tania works. I've been getting somewhat less than 10 hours a week at the moment, but it should be closer to 15 when the second receptionist leaves next week.  I've also committed to a 3 hr volunteer shift at Ten Thousand Villages each week (which I love) and am a volunteer board member/trainer/facilitator-in-training with the Alliance for Unitive Justice. Very Very Full. But mostly good.

But with life so full of different things I found myself disorganized, stressed, and with little time to spend at home with my housemates. I miss having my evenings free. I miss eating dinner with other people (I always have something in the evening, either I work or I have asked off work for a specific purpose or plan something because I am off work). I miss walking the dog and cuddling the cat. And I miss being available for impromptu games nights and coffee dates and the renaissance line dancing class that looked interesting. And so I was somewhat grateful to learn this past weekend that I will not be driving Sky after Christmas (her sister is coming home from India).

No Sky means No Car and No Car means No Melting Pot. And so yesterday I gave my two weeks notice. Of course I am starting again to look for work now - hopefully something more inline with my values.  (and I even have a job interview on the horizon.) But I am so thankful to be looking forward to a different pace of life in a few weeks time. There will be stress in the job search phase of course, but good stress and pressure to achieve. And I hope that what comes out of it will be work more in tune with my values and goals than an $8hr hosting job at a high end fondu restaurant.

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