Having recently been laid off from a job which in theory I loved - but which in practical application - was a daily exercise in frustration - I feel a mixture of relief and elation. Of course I attribute both to the fact that it's only been a few days and that I'm no longer facing a jury of what I fondly called the "twelve angry men" who never really understood me (and - to be fair - vice versa). But I felt like a Vegan Chef at a Steak Restaurant...so...cliche as it is - it's all good (or will be). Of course - there's that nagging worry about keeping food on the table and a roof over my head - but since I don't live a fear-based life - I'm viewing this "crisis" as an opportunity...today's "daily inspiration" on one of the hundreds of "tree hugging" sites I subscribe to was "Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth... Tame the dragon and the gift is yours..." So - that's my goal today - to tame the dragon.
The challenge is that I'm conflicted between the desire to "do what I love so the money will follow" and being practical. I am writer first and foremost -it's my love - it's my passion - and have been since I could hold a pencil between my teeth. I'm also creative; for example, in second grade, when my teacher asked for an explanation as to why I had a mitten in my desk in the spring (of course that was a trick question...she didn't ask the question with delighted curiosity and joy on her face - it was more of an accusation). As my friend Barbara remembered it - I was unflappable "I always keep a mitten in my desk in warm weather for good luck," I relied, "in the winter, I keep a white cotton glove." Neither of us remembers what the teacher said (the nasty witch who probably sprouted warts by now, after brutalizing a generation of young creative types). But the point is - I survived that experience and I'm at a similar crossroads now. I survived law school when I discovered I really didn't want to practice law...I look at everything as an intricate part of the fiber of my "tapestry" (yes, yes, cliche but true...what doesn't kill one makes one stronger and more experienced and weathered...and seasoned...like steak marinade (sorry for all of the food references...this was originally a food blog and one must acknowledge ones roots)...
Of course, people are trying to be helpful to me in my search...some are are calling me with "helpful" hints such as "Did you look on Monster.com" or "Maybe you can apply for food stamps" followed by "I've never been laid off...so I don't know what to tell you." (To which I reply "I don't remember asking your advice, but thanks for thinking of me!"). A vendor from the outside, who was disappointed that I might no longer need her services asked me if I knew anyone who might. "Actually, I might," I told her, "I need promotional items to help me in my career search. Do you have a stress ball that I can throw at you?"
But for the most part, my friends and contacts have been wonderful, validating my value and trying to think of how they can help me find "the next right thing" to do.
During this identification process - everytime one of them said "well, you're a marketer" - my answer was "I'm a writer first." And I went through an auto-litany about all of the stuff I've worked on and my "book cover pose" that I practice for the day I finally end up at a signing at Barnes & Noble (hey - dream big, right)? and nine out of ten of them are just happy I'm optimistic...except for one who said: "There are TOO MANY writers out there...you'll never find work as a writer...you need to stress your marketing experience..."
And then I thought "here we go again..."
So I started to get stressed out and ate a tablespoon of Skippy Chunky Peanut Butter (again - this is "The Divamom Life Love Shopping and Food Blog") to summarize the parts of the whole:
Divamom - me
Life - dealing with it now
Love - I love having the freedom to make new choices
Shopping - Res Ipsa Loquitur and
Food - Dylan wants waffles for breakfast...better feed him now before I apply for food stamps...
By the way - does anyone need any promotional items?
Happy Hump Day to All!
