I've Been Away For Too Long

A few of you might be wondering about my recent absence from this blog, Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social media stuff. Aside from the fact that I can’t stand Facebook and am only on it because, for whatever reason, my Mom’s way into it, I’ve been what can only be described as uber-busy.

My last post was all about how I quit my job after nearly eleven years of being there. I immediately started a new job the following week, and my life hasn’t been the same since. As the 80s TV show theme song states, it’s a different world from where I come from. I went from working for a company with an office of twelve employees to working for a company with over 425 employees spread out over six locations in four states. I work at one of the two biggest offices. Talk about culture shock!

Since I haven’t had to worry about it for a long time, I forgot how stressful the experience of starting a new job really is. Nothing humbles you like being in an unfamiliar place with people you don’t know who have been working there a lot longer than you. I went from being a big fish in a little pond to being a minnow swimming upstream trying to get to the big pond. Even after a month of being there, I’m still the newbie, the rookie. I try to prove myself every single day. It’s a lot to get used to.

I’m breaking into a new field. This means I’m unfamiliar with the jargon, the processes, and pretty much everything else. Fortunately, I’m a fast learner. Unfortunately, my perfectionist self thinks I should already know everything. I tend to beat myself up when my boss comes to me with a mistake, even though she insists it’ll be okay and now I know what not to do. It’s less frustrating than it was the first week, when I was convinced I made the biggest mistake of my life by changing jobs. I even considered begging my old employer to get my job back.

I’m glad I didn’t.

Between having to learn new things every day and getting used to my surroundings and the people, my brain is exhausted. I come home and think of writing or blogging, but it doesn’t happen. The words aren't there. My routine for the last few weeks after I arrive home from work has been the following: I exercise, eat dinner, and veg out. I’ll admit it. Even on weekends, writing hasn’t been easy. I’m hoping that will change as I adapt to my new situation; I miss messing with my characters!

So, that’s where I’ve been for the last month. Despite the initial difficulties, I now enjoy my new profession. I think once I get into a groove, I’ll no longer be thrown off, and I’ll be writing a lot more. Stay tuned, folks!