I celebrated my Birthday yesterday. It was a nice affair but pretty low-key. I went to work where I made a lot of sales and won $7 on a free lotto ticket so it went as well as could be expected. After that, my sister Meg, her boyfriend Nick, and I celebrated by watching Disney cartoons, getting food from Buffa Louie's, and opening my gifts. Overall, it went as well as could be expected.
I usually like to use my birthday as a time to reflect and think about how the last year has gone. A lot has happened and I like to think about how I'm in a better place now than I was back then as I usually am. So I thought I'd take some time to reflect.
My mom chronicled this pretty well on her blogpost, but it's worth repeating. Last year I lost my job rather suddenly right before the pandemic started. After that, I was unable to find work as the lockdowns started, but I lucked out in making a second part time job I was doing full time to cover some of my costs. Beyond that, everything I wanted to do (churches, restaurants, time with family, seeing my girlfriend) was largely shut down so I was mostly alone, unhappy, and trying to find work while finding ways to keep my spirits up.
I have to admit I was extremely lucky thanks to the support and encouragement of my friends. Some of my closest friends, Sean, Andrew, and their wives, lived in town and when we were able to travel again, I'd visit them as often as they'd allow and we stayed in constant contact. Other people, including friends and family I could only speak to electronically were always around if I needed someone to talk to and there were a few others I was able to meet with in spite of everything. So I was able to keep from going completely insane.
However, job searching was still a nightmare. Mostly it was sending applications that went nowhere, setting up interviews that went nowhere, and all the while balancing this around a full time job that was the focus of my creative activities (though fortunately I got along with a lot of my coworkers so there were also people there to talk to during all this). It really did though drain after awhile because constantly applying to places that keep telling you you wasted your time with constant rejections can tear you down emotionally.
Eventually though, I did find a full time job that not only paid my bills but also let me save up for the future. It was a fun job too where I very much enjoyed the work I did, the people I was with, and the opportunities it afforded me. It was also a better fit for my skill set and previous interests so it made me realize what I was good at and what my career interests are. It has taught me to stop trying to make things work because doing the work should be as fun as the end result.
Since then, I've gone even further on other personal goals. I have an amazing girlfriend, I finished a novel (that still isn't published), and did this all with the support of my friends and family. This has only improved since that year and I realize that right now there isn't really a better place to be then.
Which only further makes me realize as I reflect that my life now is better than it has been in a while. Sure, I've had great experiences (congressional internships, campaigns, living in New England, my time at St. Paul's, etc.) but this is the soundest I've been in a while. I have free time since unlike school, my work ends once I punch out and I don't bring it home with me, I'm actually making money now, I have some idea where my future is going, and I have a consistent support group that I know will always be there for me.
So as I look back on this trip around the sun, I realize I've gotten through COVID about the best I could. I don't think I would have believed I'd be here if I had told myself that at the beginning of grad school (or even senior year in undergrad). I don't seek to brag, merely just hope I can tell people that life does get better and that next year can improve. So as I leave, I realize my life is well reflected in a Zac Brown Band song:
No comments:
Post a Comment