Into the Wild

It came as somewhat of a surprise to me that I did not get called for a single job interview in the past couple of weeks. I am doing my best not to get discouraged, yet I am beginning to make plans and preparations for life without a full-time job in my profession. Now if I only knew where that should be? If I am only working part-time, then I won't be able to afford a place of my own, so I am contemplating searching for a roommate. Although, I know of no one in Omaha that needs one. This is the distressing part of it all because I know leaving Omaha means I am going to be missing more time with my daughter (with which she is equally upset about.) The cold reality of it is that I can't find a satisfying career in Nebraska, so I need to leave the state anyway. For those of you that don't know, I have honestly tried my best for years to make something work in Omaha or Lincoln for the benefit of my daughter, and I failed.

Back on point, I am continuing to wait for word on the resumes that I have sent out; however, Plan B has officially been initiated. On Monday, I ventured off to Southwest Colorado to see friends that I haven't seen in over three years. It was quite the adventure in travel and spirit, which oddly coincided with each other. When I left my parents house on Monday morning, I honestly had no idea where I was going. I had talked to various people about the possibilities of me visiting, but I went to bed Sunday night in an anxious state of mind. Colorado had been my primary target, so I stuck with it. My heart had been dying to be back in the mountains for a long time, so off I went on a densely foggy morning (e.g. my mind). I drove for two hours through fog and trance, all the while I was second guessing my decision to go so far away from the midwest. I pressed on anyway, and eventually I drove into bright sunshine that I hadn't seen in days! It was right then that I knew I was going the right direction afterall. I felt a sudden joy that I was heading West. When I finally came within sight of the mountains, I felt like I was home again. Unfortunately, it was nearing twilight when I passed through Denver, so I didn't get to see the mountains for very long. I had another five hours to drive and only an hour left of daylight. I knew that when it got dark the journey was going to be difficult because I was already getting tired. Once it got dark I finally stopped for an hour to eat in Salida, CO. I needed a break before driving the final 2 1/2 hours over two mountain passses. It was a lengthy 15 hours on the road that ended with a slow drive through falling snow on the final mountain pass. I was fried by this point and felt like I was hallucinating. I had to keep going though because I knew the forecast called for continual snowfall for the next few days. I made it to my friends house safely, even though I was quite delirious once I arrived!

Now that I am in Colorado, I intend to stay for a few weeks or until I get a call for an interview somewhere. I am contemplating going further West after my stay here, but I could just as easily end up back in the Midwest. The deciding factor there will be whether or not I can get my daughter out West with me for her Winter break over President's Day weekend. Besides like I said before, I am still considering a roommate and a part-time job.... Ugh, still so many variables, it's hard to know where I will ever be!

Crossroads of the Fates

The holidays have ended, and the dust has settled from the family storm. Now, I find myself in the waiting room of destiny. In the last couple months, I have sent out a dozen resumes to jobs that I would be well qualified to do yet reaching for the next level in my career. Of course I didn't really expect to hear back regarding any interviews before the holidays were over, but now those expectations have changed. Any day now, a phone call could come in from any number of job applications, or not. I feel that I need to delay further travels until I give a couple weeks for employers to get back to me. Obviously I don't want to get too far away from the places I am applying to, in case a call for an interview comes in. However, if I don't have any calls in the next couple of weeks, then I will start my journey out of the Midwest. In the meantime, I wait at the crossroads.

Some personal things have been resolved in the last couple weeks anyway. I have decided to shift my life from relaxation mode into motivation and action. Since I am still waiting for another couple weeks, I will be in the planning stages for implementing these actions for now. Technically, I will be working on Plan B and Plan C, since these will be the routes I will take if the job search produces nothing. Plan B will consist of journeying on to visit more friends and doing limited job searching in the areas that I visit. Plan C will be more or less the sabbatical plan where I decide to scrap the job search (for now) and live life to the fullest until the money runs out.

In these plans, I am now starting to consider traveling abroad more seriously. I mean seriously, when will be the next time I will have so much free time on my hands to spend weeks or months abroad? Most likely that time will be 30-40 years from now when I retire. Given so many variables in that amount of time, I think I would be foolish to not take advantage of the opportunities to travel that I have right now!

If anyone actually reads this blog, I would greatly appreciate any words of encouragement or words of advice. I feel like I am at such a crucial juncture in my life right now, and it is a little overwhelming at times to make sure I am doing what I should be doing. Although honestly, it is more exciting than anything. The Universe has provided me with many blessings and gifts - I don't want to take any of those things for granted and I don't want to miss any opportunities.