Opportunity lost
March 25th, 2008
I had a(nother) frustrating day at work yesterday. Nothing I say is right, nothing I do is enough. It’s very demoralizing. I’m absolutely burned out. I’m eligible to retire on April 2oth. The problem is I’d take a serious cut in retirement pay. But I’ve been so unhappy lately. Is it really worth the aggravation to try to stick it out another 3½ years?
And then, last night, I received a letter from a couple in Baltimore who are interested in moving to Alexandria, and particularly into my community, and specifically into a 3-bedroom layout (which is what I have). (In fact, I have one of the nicest, if not the nicest condo in the complex.) The problem is, it is in serious disrepair.
I’d actually set up a schedule (and even a blog) to chart my decluttering and redecorating, but haven’t made any progress in the past couple weeks. I finally made the decision this week to hire a professional organizer. I’d really like to be ready the next time an opportunity like this comes my way. (Plus, it would be nice living in a clean and neat home.)
For a moment though, I dreamt of leaving the job behind, selling the home and moving to a quieter, less expensive locale. But when I looked at the real estate on Yahoo, I found the house I really wanted in Clear Lake, Iowa sold. Maybe next time.
Posted in Work | Comments (4)
March 25th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Obviously, you’re the only one who can answer these questions. But I’d like to share my perspective.
Two years ago, I was working a day job and my kids were in day care. I wrote at night (usually very late). My job began to look tenuous, as the workload steadily declined. My oldest would be starting middle school with no real day care options afterward, but she would be barely 11 years old. But the idea of not having my income frightened us.
After a huge fight, we took a look at our finances, refinanced our mortgage, made some other adjustments, and I gave six months notice at my job. We’ve struggled at times, especially with the bills, but I’m doing editing/proofreading work and some nonfiction writing jobs, which have filled in the gaps. I’m gleefully happy, which means they’re happier ’cause Mom’s not such an old grump anymore. I’m home for the kids’ ever-increasing needs, and the husband doesn’t have to do as many chores.
My situation is really different from yours. But if you have a chance to be happier…well, I say take it. You might end up having to take another job somewhere, but it might be the best thing you could have done. You won’t know until you try!
March 26th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
You are so sweet! Thanks for the words of encouragement. See post for Mar 26th.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
[...] with what I mentioned yesterday, I really am interested. But I think I’ve come to a reasonable decision. Since my home is not [...]
March 26th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I knew you’d come to the right decision for you!