Introducing Thankful Thursday

I’m very pleased to announce four theme days – Mindful Monday, Wordless Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, and Foodie Friday. Let me explain each topic.

Mindful Monday will be all about mindfulness. I will be discussing my practices with mindfulness, topics discussed on The Mindfulist, and ideas to be more mindful. Wordless Wednesday will be a single picture – no words. It’s fairly popular, actually. Thankful Thursday will essentially be the evolution of my gratitude series. And my favorite? Foodie Friday will encourage me to get into the kitchen to bring you glorious pictures of delicious food. It might not be anything like Smitten Kitchen or The Parsley Thief, but I do enjoy food.

I had several ideas for Tuesdays, but none of them really seem exciting. The most viable Tuesday theme was Taboo Tuesday, which would essentially be my day to discuss more serious topics – to treat this platform as my soap box. I may still instate that theme, but for now Tuesdays will be open. Perhaps Typical Tuesdays will work? Saturdays and Sundays are also open-ended. If I don’t have anything worthwhile to say, I probably just won’t post. However, I do need a set schedule in order to encourage myself to write and be creative. I’m looking forward to my posting schedule.

Moving onto today’s theme – gratitude – I’m very grateful to have come up with this schedule. I’ve been lacking in the creativity department lately, and it feels wonderful to finally get some creative ideas flowing again. When your livelihood is based off of creativity, it can be very stressful to loss that creative touch.

Share

Gratitude # 77

At this very moment in life, I can count many blessings that make any uncomfortable life changes that much more tolerable. This life change itself is a blessing in disguise. I wasn’t happy with the job change I made, and I had several red flags warning me that it was the wrong move to make even before beginning the process of counter offering. However, we all know what they say about hindsight. There’s only so much living in the past a person can do before moving on and absorbing the lesson – and that’s exactly what this was. I learned a valuable lesson about trusting my instincts over looking to others to justify something that just doesn’t feel right. I learned not to trust someone just because they seem personable. I learned that I shouldn’t settle for anything less than I truly deserve, regardless of how “good” it might seem on the surface. I learned once again that minutes are most definitely worth more than money, and that the people you surround yourself with are more important than the digits before the decimal point on your paycheck. I discovered that right now I’m in a place where I haven’t been before. You see, I had a life changing moment like this nearly three years ago, and I didn’t handle it nearly as well as I’ve handled this. Brian has noted that I seem happier than I did in a long time. I have shocked myself with how happy I am despite the fact that I’m involuntarily unemployed at this juncture. Imagine that!

I think I have grown and changed in such a way that I trust that everything will be as it should. I have experienced enough uncomfortable situations in my life thus far that I know determination and perseverance can carry you quite a long way. I’ve learned to live in the moment, to value the present. While I still have moments of rehashing the past in my mind or agonizing over the future, I’m becoming much more mindful. I’m focusing so much more of my efforts on making my dream – the dream to become a consultant and freelancer – become a way of life. I don’t doubt it will still take some time before I can consider it to be a fully supporting way of life, but everyone has to start out small at some point or another. This is my time, and I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I am so grateful to have built a network of good friends, and I am grateful for each one of my readers. Life is much better than it seems.

Share

Redesigned

It’s taken quite some time to come up with a new layout, but I finally found a few layouts that I liked. Brian saw promise in this particular one (originally Black Neon) and created a color scheme and background layout for me. Please let me know how this affects your experience here — I’m all about user-friendliness here. If something doesn’t quite suit you, please give me constructive feedback. Things I’ll need to know are:

  • Colors – if you don’t like a particular color, offer a suggestion (note: some of the used colors are not web-safe, so what looks seamless to me might not be so seamless to you)
  • Layout – you’ll notice I’ve chosen a three column layout this time in order to maximize my sidebar area
  • Placement – if something seems like it’s out of place or should be moved, let me know what and where.

Aside from that, I’m pretty much happy with the layout and color scheme. Now if I could just figure out what to do with the rest of my website…

Share

[The Mindfulist] July 7th

As we go through our daily activities, we frequently get lost in thoughts of past and future, not staying grounded in the awareness of our bodies.Joseph Goldstein

This statement resonates within me. Recently I’ve been trapped in that state of past and future thoughtfulness. My mind will often drift back to that unpleasant moment nearly a week ago, or it will spin scenarios that could happen should a piece not be placed properly or in time. In fact, my mind has worked this way for much of my life — dwelling on the past, dreaming of or fearing the future. It’s a habit of sorts, and I believe we should treat it as such. I would go so far as to say it can be a dangerous habit because we can miss some very important experiences and ques in the here and now if we are lost in the past or future. Our society is caught up in the concept of time travel, too — we talk about going back in time to change some event or going into the future to see how things turn out. But what about enjoying the present? Remember the saying that states today is a gift? We most assuredly should cherish the present because we will only get one shot at it. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. Once the experiences have been lived, the course of our future will be altered. Instead of worrying about it, it’s likely better to act and react in the present in the best ways possible if we’d like to ensure good memories and a good future. Sure, we can’t escape bad memories or completely prevent unforeseen or uncontrollable events, but we can certainly strive to enjoy each minute we have.

Share

Several Documents Later…

I spent much of the weekend researching freelancing, consulting, and just general independent contracting. I’ve got several documents of information pulled together now, and I feel confident that I have plenty of resources all at my finger tips. Now comes the hard part — making sense of it all. It definitely is a lot of information to sift through even after scouring the internet. Of course, it’s definitely worth the effort because this is what I’d like to do in a lucrative capacity at some point in the future. All this information will better enable me to create a viable business plan and set realistic, achievable goals for myself.

Tomorrow I will be kicking my job hunt into high gear. There will be several sources scoured, companies and businesses researched, resume polishing, cover letter creation and customization, and application submissions. It’s apparently a science, as you can find just by searching the web. In all honestly, sometimes it’s important to have that day job to fund our passions, even if our passions aren’t ever meant to supplant the day job as primary income. Regardless, I shall be doing my best to stand out from the crowd. Seriously, how many other candidates remember to bring a portfolio? I nailed an interview just by having that beautiful little folder of my work along for the occasion — and I can do it again.

Share

Assessing My Progress

We’re already halfway through 2010 — have we decided it’s two thousand ten or twenty ten yet? — and it’s high time I assess my progress on this year’s goals. Obviously, I’ve been granted the time to recenter and refocus, so I’m most certainly going to take full advantage of that fact.

Health
Healthy eating habits: I’m going to be brutally honest with all of you — I really don’t think I’ve done a single thing to work towards a more balanced diet. While I’d been snacking on apples, a simple 60 calorie piece of fruit isn’t exactly a good way to prevent those sugar cravings. At the very least, my easy access to those Panera chocolate duet with walnut cookies is long gone.
Exercise: Again, I have a confession to make. I have not had an ounce of discipline with regards to exercising. Sure, I walk a lot, but that doesn’t count for everything. How can I sit here whining about my weight loss plateau when clearly I’ve not done a thing to keep the weight melting off?
Lose 29lbs and 33 inches: I’ve lost 11lbs and 9 inches since the start of the year. That leaves me with 18lbs and 24 inches more to lose before the year’s over. That’s a pretty tall order to fill.

Home
Get back on the Flylady band wagon: I think you’re going to see a pattern here. No surprise, I haven’t done so well on this goal. I’d get home at the end of the day feeling wiped out and ready to veg. So many things added up, and I really just didn’t know how to process that sensory overload. Too many things were happening at once, and it obviously culminated in Thursday morning’s unpleasant scenario. Well, at least I have more time to devote to routine creation, right?
Potty train Tati: We’re still welcoming the Disney Princesses into our home. What? It can get pretty hectic around here.

Self-Betterment
Write Daily: For the first quarter of the year, I did fairly well — right up until I became overwhelmed with everything going on in my life. No, we’re not going to detail everything, but clearly my mind was far too disjointed to formulate coherent thoughts. I’m getting back on track, though.
Make Friends/ Strengthen Current Friendships: I could still to improve upon this, but I’m pleased to say I’ve gotten better with talking to people. Okay, only when I’ve slept for a fairly decent amount of time. I still have  my moments where I feel like I open my mouth and stupid comes out. 😉 And hey, this whole losing my job thing has opened my eyes to the social network I’ve created for myself. I have connections, and this time I’m not afraid to ask for help.
Religion/ Spirituality: Well, I’ve certainly seen some signs and either chosen to heed or ignore them. Sometimes, I just don’t learn to trust the instincts I’ve been blessed with. Yes, Sir, I hear you loud and clear — minutes are worth more than money! Thanks for the lesson and the test. I’ll do better next time.

Overall, I’ve got a lot of work to do if I’d like to achieve my goals. This little unplanned vacation will be spent as wisely as possible.

Share

Pressing On

I have yet to devise a plan of action and truly organize my thoughts, but I have been socially networking in the hopes that I can find a connection much easier — after all, that’s partially how I got the job I just lost in the first place. I find myself feeling more and more connected to the ever popular Dooce, and I do intend to reach out to her for advice. In the mean time, let me tell you a little more about myself.

I am a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in English. I had the distinct pleasure of studying with Dr. Gregory L. Ulmer, a pioneer in the fields of electracy and hypermedia studies. Under his tutelage, I found a passion in Internet literature — more specifically, it’s on my life list to make a living off of my writing in print and on the Internet. This blog itself is considered Internet literature. The best job I’ve had since graduation was my position as a secretary in the University of Florida’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. I started my two and a half year journey having no idea what the field of Materials Science and Engineering covered. Now, I can’t understand why I didn’t know about it in the first place. In addition to learning something new just about everyday, I was charged with answering incoming calls, sorting mail, logging packages, keeping track of keys, submitting maintenance work orders, greeting visitors, and keeping track of graduate seminar attendance. I took it upon myself to work on the newsletter, slowly gaining more and more responsibilities until I finally had the opportunity to design and edit the entire newsletter from scratch utilizing Adobe CS 4 InDesign. I also coordinated events, such as the departmental career workshop before the recession kicked into high gear. I discovered the joy in planning events — choosing caterers, locating a venue, working with venders and guests, etc. I assisted in preparations for the 50th anniversary events, and I feel honored to have been a part of that department during such a wonderful time. The people I worked with more often than not brought me joy, and I did my very best to always be a smiling, friendly face with whom the students, faculty, staff, and visitors could easily converse. Upon my departure for what I thought were greener pastures, many people expressed sadness to see me leave. I discovered that I impacted them just as much as they impacted me.

This brings me to what I’d like to find. I’m seeking a family-friendly, family-oriented environment. Ideally, I’d like to work with other parents who are working to live and not living to work. If your office is filled with family photos and your children’s artwork, if your weekends are spent hanging out with your family, we will get along quite well. Your place of employment should encourage camaraderie and value high morale among all employees. Everyone should feel part of the team — right down to the janitors who made the work environment clean and livable. You could not operate without them, so making them feel welcomed and appreciated is very important. I would very much like to continue working in the same capacity that I have been for the past few years. More specifically, I would like to function as a secretary, administrative assistant, or an executive assistant. I would like to have the opportunity to coordinate events and edit publications. Should you have something more specific to the marketing and communications aspect, I am more than willing to make the transition to that specialization. In fact, I would welcome the opportunity to begin specializing in publications.

In addition to seeking a permanent status position with an employer, I am also looking to begin my career as an English consultant and independent writer and editor. I will be explaining my business plans in more detail in the coming days. I welcome any advice, comments, ideas, recommendations, and suggestions you can provide, so please feel free to send those thoughts my way.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. — Seneca

Share

Impromptu Vacation

It’s actually quite funny in a cosmic sense. I mean, I did feel like I needed a vacation. I did want to be my own boss and not have to answer to someone else on their schedule. But not on these terms. It’s also funny how you learn that some people aren’t really your friends and will take the first opportunity to stab you in the back, put words into your mouth, and see that you are wronged. I will be doing some serious soul-searching with regards to whom I associate with in the next 24 hours, but for right now I have plenty of important things to handle first. In fact, let’s get onto that point right now. I’m now a free agent thanks to a gross misunderstanding.

So now I’m left scrambling to figure out finances. My husband and I are clearly going to have to play a game of who can find employment first again. I intend to contact whoever I can to do whatever I can to make sure this does not ruin my career. And who knows? Perhaps this is my chance to make my writing work for me. In the meantime, I will be accepting donations via paypal for a mother of three who’s down on her luck. Sometimes our plans in life don’t go according to plan, and sometimes other people step in to sway your path in another direction. And honestly, I’ve been in a similar position once before. We went through an uncomfortable period of time, and life began to look quite hopeless. Just when I thought it was done, that everything was going to fall apart, my old boss at UF MSE gave me a job. In fact, when I left that job I knew I was going to miss his management style the most. I knew I would miss the fact that he was more like an old friend than a boss.

So, today starts a new adventure for me and my family. I don’t know where we’re going, but I’m going to do my best to stay positive and mindful during the journey. I’m going to do my absolute best to make sure the journey takes us to a place that’s even better than I could have imagined before. And so you know, I already know I can apply for an assistanceship for grad school as long as I agree to teach some undergrad classes — the grad school application will be going forward regardless at this point. I’m not going to let a few people who’ve just spat in my face stop me from giving my family the best life I can. You can strike me down, but you cannot prevent me from doing great things in life. You can’t stop me from writing. You can’t stop me from bringing awareness to injustices. You can’t stop me from being the best wife and mother I can be. And you certainly can’t stop me from pursuing my goals. You aren’t that powerful. Only my maker can call me away from this life, and until He does, I am here to continue working towards my authentic self. Bad circumstances be damned.

If you’d like to help, you can donate to my paypal account via meri1030@gmail.com. You can also pass along that email address to recruiters. I’m a free agent, and I’m ready to rock the socks off of a family-friendly boss.

Share