Thanksgiving

Fear not, gentle readers, I haven't forgotten you. I keep starting blog posts and then getting distracted. Then when I go back to finish the posts, I realize I no longer care about the topic anyway. What can I say? I'm a capricious creature. 

The holiday season is upon us, which means two things: 1. Lots of time off from school; 2. Lots of life assessment taking place. The time off from school is nice but also scary. Unlike normal school staff, I don't get PTO; if I don't work, I don't make money. I had a second job to cover my bases, but that is no longer the case. So if anyone wants to pay me to do just about anything between December 23rd and January 2nd, let me know! You have a kid? I can totally watch it for you. You have plants? I can water them. You have a multimillion dollar industry? I can probably answer phones. Call me! No? Well, I guess that leaves even more time for the life assessment thing. 

Last year around this time I was in a state of panic. I was leaving a job I detested (yay!), but it was still unclear exactly what I left it for. I moved in with my parents, intended on starting at GWU in January, and was anxiously searching for a job. I no longer had my roommate/heterosexual-life-partner with me, which made things boring and even more stressful. I was in a relationship that was difficult and exhausting, but (oh dear god I cringe to think about it now) I was with someone I kind of thought I would marry someday. Fast forward twelve months: I am living with my roommate/HLP again in a new city, I have a new (beloved) job, I'm studying something I'm passionate about (at a school that is half the price of GWU), I'm happily single, and I even have a new dog (well, he's mine when HLP is not around). My childhood car is kaput, my childhood cat is roaming around a kitty palace in the sky, and my childhood bedroom is now a playroom for my niece. I wouldn't go so far to say that my life is unrecognizable to any time-traveling onlookers from last year, but for the first time since I graduated college I feel like my life is gaining some momentum. It's a lot easier to enjoy being broke and in your 20's when you get the sense that it's a temporary state. (If this isn't a temporary state, please don't ruin the illusion for me.) 

Why am I posting this? Rereading it sounds kind of braggy, and I really don't mean it that way. I guess I just wanted to take a minute to be grateful for the amazing things in my life right now. My life is not in perfect equilibrium (is equilibrium even possible?), but I suppose I wanted to send the universe my gratitude for the positive things it has given me this year. (*insert cheesy quote about chaos and opportunity being the same word*) The chaos actually led to amazing things. Even if my current plans don't work out as expected, I am excited to see what happens from here. And I appreciate everyone who has patiently supported me in all of this; I know I am a total pill when I am stressed, so I want to thank you for being a source of advice, jokes, and booze. Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone. You can probably expect another corny life assessment in a few weeks when I inevitably watch It's A Wonderful Life with the company of some chardonnay.