Garden State...And You're Good

We all have those moments that get us down.  When things just aren't going right or even falling completely to shit.  We all have things we go to for those moments: food, a partner or parent, a drug...  I go to Garden State.  There's something about the movie, beyond the obvious awesomeness of the movie itself and the fabulous fucking soundtrack, and the plethora of quotable quotes; there's just a feeling.  There's a feeling the movie leaves you with, a feeling the movie helps you harness and work through...  It's just sometimes time for Garden State.  And you're good.

April Was a Wonderful Month

Yesterday was my first business day without a job.  I've been working since I was nine years old; I'd help put cashed checks and filled invoices in numerical order for my mom when their office manager was behind or I'd work on my own business of dog walking in which one of my clients was a German Shepperd who only spoke German (I can still remember saying "seeeetz!" at every corner before crossing the street).  I worked all through high school and college and usually I'd have multiple jobs saying "I'd rather be busy than bored."  My evenings, weekends, and vacations were always that much more special and enjoyable for having been hard earned.

Then my most recent job started to change.  Promises were made, duties were shuffled, more promises were made, more duties shuffled, and before I knew it the best parts of my job were gone with only the incidentals remaining.  I'd racked up a month of PTO and hadn't used a minute of it since October, when I'd taken Mondays and Fridays off to allow me time for the Melodrama and all it's fun/exhaustion.  My job was nothing more than a series of duties a monkey could do, especially with the procedural documents available.  It was time to use my PTO.  I asked for and received a month off work.  All of April was a break from a job that had ceased to be a challenge and a break from all things digital as I declared a self-imposed digital sabbatical.

April was a wonderful month.

Over too soon, I was back at the computer on May first when I was told I'd be laid off in two more days.  It was okay, I thought, I needed a vacation from my vacation after all...ha ha?  I immediately updated my linkedin profile and asked for recommendations.  I updated my resume and put it on Monster.  I sent out feelers among family and friends to determine if anyone knew of anyone hiring for my salary range and a telecommuter.  I created a list of things I'd wanted to accomplish in April that I hadn't gotten to and new things that had occurred to me since then.  I completed my unemployment application online.  I was determined to make the most of my bonus time off without slipping into a self-pitying funk.  Everything happens for a reason (or some shit) and I would get everything I could out of this happening.

So yesterday was my first business day without a job.  I managed to finish a book I'd started in April and not had time to complete.  With help from one of the super-women of my town I was able to complete the tickets/maps for the Garden Tour we're putting on in June.  I went to the gym for an hour like I haven't had time to do in two or three weeks.  My ceiling started leaking, I punched a couple holes in it so it wouldn't cave in, then went into the attic and found where the leak was coming from in the roof.  I did two loads of laundry (and still have two more to do before I'm caught up).  I wrote recommendations on linkedin for people who'd recommended me.  I set up dates/times for a new weekly game night at my local and a new monthly book club and got the info out to my community.  I had a homemade breakfast, a homemade lunch, and was treated to a fabulous dinner by an amazing friend.  I attended a scholarship committee meeting for one of the organizations I volunteer for and we were able to read all the submissions and allocate the scholarship money.

People are always saying that the unemployed are a drain on society and while I didn't contribute a cent to the government yesterday with anything I did, I think I benefited society more in one day unemployed than I've ever benefited us with a job.  This is not to say that I want to remain unemployed forever, I have far too much drive not to have a full-time job where I feel challenged; it's just to say that there's a lot one can accomplish for society and for themselves in a single day if we're willing to look outside the box.

My Month Long Digital Sabbatical

I took a digital sabbatical the month of April and it was awesome!  I had PTO for work (because I never take days off...until October for the Melodrama) and so much of it that I was able to take an entire month off!  I extended the month off of work to include a month away from the internet as well and was mostly successful.

Instead of spending hours each day on emails and FaceBook I was outside gardening and hiking.  Instead of sitting in front of a computer for nine or more hours a day I sat out on the deck with friends or ran all over town delivering posters for an upcoming non-profit event.  I read books from the library, planted the garden and established a watering system, I cleaned out the garage and painted/cleaned the inside of the house.  It was a staycation and it was a lot of work but it felt great.

My digital sabbatical ended two days ago and here's what I learned:

-I can live without FaceBook but why would I?  It's a fantastic tool for connecting people and thanks to this tool I was able to find funding for the non-profit garden tour.  FaceBook is a fantastic tool when used in moderation

-I can live without email but, again, why would I?  Email can accomplish things in two minutes that a phone call would drag out to twenty and email allowed me to connect multiple people together at once without figuring out how to conference people in or make multiple calls

-Chickens are hysterical and soothing to observe.  Just taking five minutes out of your day to watch them can drastically improve your mood

-Cedar starts don't look anything at all even remotely close to an actual Cedar tree

-Getting the sprinkler system properly set up is a task best left for a warm day with no wind

-A good paint job is all about proper taping

-Beware the poor dog meeting his first skunk, hope he learns his lesson, and pity the owner

Hope you all had a lovely April and welcome to May!

The Perils of Stacking Wood

We're taking down the dead trees on the property as well as taking down a couple that are right where we're putting in an orchard.  I've been stacking the cut wood so it can season...well, I was stacking the wood; now I am recovering from smashing my hand.  Luckily only one finger looks bad even though the whole hand is pretty much out of commission.  It's amazing just how much we do with our dominant hands.  Losing the use of it really makes you appreciate it that much more.

Make The Leap!

"I'd rather regret the things I have done than the things I haven't" - Lucille Ball

Life can be lived at full tilt.

Enjoyed for everything it has to offer.

Every opportunity leapt at.

What will you leap at today?

My Little Colt

This is my little colt.  He can always make me smile.  I hope he makes you smile, too :)

Not-A-Pond

Our little property has a pond...well, not right now it doesn't.  Right now we have a not-a-pond.  I've been told the pond can run over with water come spring.  That animals drink from it and ducks swim in it.  We had over a foot of snow just this last week but the not-a-pond is nothing more than a muddy/snowy depression in the ground.  Sometimes it just takes a little patience and the right timing to be other than what we are, to be what we're not.