Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Good Life

You haven’t heard from me for a while, probably because in the last few weeks I have been far too busy enjoying “the good life.” And by “the good life” I mean reading children’s books, going for long walks and watching “Scrubs.” So pretty fraking good. Maybe I haven’t written for a while because the title of my blog no longer makes sense; I am technically employed, after all, even if my job officially starts this coming Monday. A more apt title would be something along the lines of “Life After College in Manayunk” or “Employed at Three Part-Time Jobs in Manayunk.” Neither have quite the right pathos. Even if it is no longer particularly accurate, I’m sticking with the title because it’s gotten me this far. By “this far” I mean through the six or so posts I’ve actually put here. Through all my lazy days at home, I haven’t been able to find the time to update every once in a while, by which, of course, I mean I have watched way too many episodes of Scrubs. But I digress.
            The prospect of returning to work has got me thinking. Even though at times sitting at home I have been bored out of my mind, antsy, dissatisfied, felt useless and broke, worried about funny smells, wished I could be somewhere else, there are many things I’m going to miss about being unemployed (or occasionally employed as I am now). No more long walks every day that always seem to end up at the house up on Green Lane with the pot-bellied pig (it’s so ugly that it’s adorable). No more grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch every day (unless I bring a hot plate to work). No more sipping my absurdly large cup of coffee, leisurely eating my oatmeal and watching anywhere from three to five episodes of my Scrubs back to back. No more sitting down in the middle of the day and reading a book cover to cover. But to replace all those things I will have a steady source of income doing something that I’m pretty sure I’ll love. I’ll still be able to go on walks, even if they’re not as long. I’ll still read my books cover to cover, though it might take me an extra day. While I’ll miss tomato soup, there’s always the weekend, and I could certainly do with less TV in my life. Most of all, I am looking forward to that tired feeling I get after a day of work, the feeling that tells me I’ve done something productive and helps me fall asleep without tossing and turning for an hour. Through my time without a job, I’ve come to understand myself as a person who likes to do, to accomplish things, not to sit at home like a blob. I find this understanding immensely comforting, poised as I am at the brink of a lifetime of work to do.