One Year

When I started this blog a year ago I felt fragile. My life felt tenuous and vague. I looked OK from the outside, but on the inside, Oy.

I was struggling with the realities of having gone back to the corporate world after an extended stay at home. I left the workplace in December of 1988 to be a mother and a homemaker. Jobs I enjoyed very much.

In 2005, with much upheaval and uncertainty in the Saint's industry, and more so within his company, I realized I shouldn't wait until I HAD to have a job to start to LOOK for a job. Let's face it, seventeen years out of the workplace isn't a 50 yard dash on the mommy track; it's a fucking MARATHON!

Additionally, I had failed to do any of the things one is supposed to do if they EVER plan on working again. I didn't work part time, I didn't "keep my hand in it", I didn't "maintain my contacts", I didn't "build a network". I had just walked away. I had to cobble together a resume with nothing more than leadership positions in every volunteer organization you can think of.

The first job I took was an unmitigated disaster that resulted in my resigning after only six months. As bad as it was, I learned a lot from the experience and the man who had hired me gave me such a glowing reference that my second job search lasted four weeks instead of four months.

I feel more settled now. Less anxious. Able to look ahead and know that I can do this; this "work" thing. (It helps that I'm being paid to do shit I used to do for FREE!) It's taken me three years to get my feet under me, to catch my breath, to adjust to my families time being dictated by someone else's timetable.

Writing here has been cathartic. Sharing my experience and hearing about the changes a lot of you are facing has made my journey easier. Outside of the Saint and the Precious Daughters, no one in my "real life" knows about this blog. I don't need to censor what I write here and that has been crucial to the therapeutic aspect of blogging for me.

All of this is a long winded way of saying to my readers that I thank you for stopping by. I thank you for your comments and insights. I thank you for sharing your experiences through your writing.

And if you ever wander over in the direction of Whoville, know that a comfy chair, a good meal and a glass of wine is waiting for each and every one of you!