Month: January 2013

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m not sure which is worse… Not having a job and having the time to look for one, or having a job that doesn’t pay enough with no time to look.

Right now, I’m in the latter category. No clue how I’m going to manage my bills, exhausted from doing something I don’t enjoy, and very little time to find something I do enjoy and will pay the bills. That said, I STILL believe wholeheartedly in my decision to move here and create a new life for myself. I knew it would be difficult, I just didn’t know how difficult and to be quite honest, I haven’t been living like it is.

Frustrated by my inability to find a job and with the craziness of the holidays, admittedly, I let the search slide longer than I should have. Now, I’m paying for it- quite literally.

So here’s the plan:
Get on it!!!
I’ve organized my thoughts, I know what I want. Now I just need to buckle down and make it happen… Use every resource I can possibly use.

I’m tired of being negative to the people I care about and the new people in my life. People want to be surrounded by positive people… Including employers.

I know I want to write- that’s why I started this blog.
I know I love to read- hmm… That fits in somewhere…
I know that I love to organize people and things.
I know that I can’t sit at a desk all day… Unless, of course, I am reading and/or writing.

I have been saying that I want a career in non-profit development, and honestly, I would love it. Mostly, because I am passionate, believe in social change, and believe in the power of an organization to strengthen a community or solve a social problem.

Most of my life however, I have said I would either become an editor or go into advertising/public relations. Yup, so all of those still appeal to me… But something about being an editor in a publishing company suddenly stands out, speaks volumes.

To be around people who love books as much as I do? What more could I ask for? I am in the fast-paced, savvy capital of the world, and I could be surrounded by witty book-lovers? Umm… Yes, please! Publishing also speaks to my interest in both development and the advertising world. Both are necessary components of book sales.

So now it’s just a matter of putting my money (metaphorical money- I don’t have any of the real kind) where my moth is. I know I have what it takes. I know that given the chance, I would add an exceptional energy and determination to any company. That is, given the chance…

My job now is to network… To pool every resource and get creative because within the next couple of months, I better be doing something I care about, no matter how small I have to start!!

Hmm… Maybe this blog will help…

Friends of Proximity- people who hang out with you/you hang out with out of convenience

When you move to a new city, you experience many emotions- excitement, fear, anxiety, relief… But most commonly, loneliness. For those in relationships, having the man of your dreams doesn’t make you any less lonely. It certainly helps, but as women, girlfriends are essential to our well-being. The most amazing man on earth still won’t be able to fill the void that our friends fill.
As we move away, our friends at home move forward, just as we do. They are living their lives, just as we are beginning new chapters. But in the loneliness of being somewhere new, we begin to feel slighted by our friends and start to feel like an outsider.
Making new friends is a process, but so is keeping the old. With distance, more effort must be made on both ends of the friendship. This is when we learn who our true friends are and this is when it may become apparent that some friendships we’ve spent much time preserving aren’t worth preservation.
For me, unfortunately, it seems that most of my friendships fell under this category. I’m finding that I have maybe two friendships worth keeping, worth making the effort. The others seem to continuously let me down and add to my loneliness. Sometimes it’s better to be alone than to surround yourself with people who don’t give a damn.
I’m making new friends, and I’m sure some of these friends will fall under that category eventually, but hopefully, with maturity and with experience, I am making more fulfilling friendships with people who have my best interests at heart.
Sometimes, friendships of proximity are extremely helpful in coping with loneliness. It is just a matter of not confusing the two types. True friendship is quality over quantity and defies all distance, but in life, especially in transition, we learn that these people are few and far between.