Introductions: Mascara & Moxie

So...I am starting a blog.

After 40 years of existence on this planet, I never thought I would be the blogging type but here we are...starting a blog.

Oh and guess what? I don't know what I am doing, so... this ought to be real fun.

Why start a blog? One might ask. Well, after 11 years of being a Human Resources professional, I decided to quit my very stressful job without a back-up plan. Yup, I am just another casualty of the "Great Resignation." I know, I know..I am a little late to the party but, everybody knows, only the uncool people show up on time. I am kidding, of course, the real reason is that I am just stubborn and more than a little insubordinate at times, but that's neither here nor there.

At this point, you may be asking what exactly made my job so stressful? Well.....Humans. The Humans I tell you. Human Resources would be the best profession ever if it weren't for all of the damn humans. It's rarely a pleasure.... Hopefully, you get that I am jesting by now, but there is some truth to that or at least where I am concerned.

The department that I worked in Human Resources coordinated and administrated leave of absences. For those who may not know, most people don't usually take a leave of absence from their job due to joyous reasons. Sure, there is the occasional joyous pregnancy or adoption or even the really juicy administrative leave; but mostly, my team dealt with people who were hurting in one way or another. This meant, we often dealt with the humans while they are at their worst. I am talking about people who have been diagnosed with cancer, strokes, family members dying, rehab, injured in serious car wrecks, etc. So when I say it's rarely a pleasure, what I really mean is that I often had to deal people who were going through really tough circumstances and often you get attached to them and their circumstances. Eventually, if your not careful it can take its toll and for me, once the pandemic hit, that's exactly what happened.

Like many people, I struggled during the pandemic, particularly at my job. The company I worked for, in order to maintain safety, arranged remote work for the majority of the corporate offices. I, however, was one of the few fortunate or unfortunate people, depending on how you look at it, who were required to be in the office everyday. My work days began around 4am every morning and ended around 6pm in the evening. I literally only had to time work, eat, shower, kiss my husband goodnight, and sleep before doing it all over again; And if I am being totally honest, there may have been a few times when showering got put on the back-burner....That's probably a little too much information, but for two years, my team and I worked tirelessly in order to maintain covid regulations while also being sensitive to our team member's needs.

Once the covid restrictions were relaxed, the company I worked for brought people back into the offices. This should have been a glorious occasion for me; Unfortunately, it was a bit too late. I was burnt out and border-line apathetic. I was once a person who took great pride in the work she was doing each day; and within a blink of a global pandemic, pondering the purpose of us all being here. I didn't care if it all burned down to the ground. I, obviously, realized this was not healthy thought pattern and so, like most people, I desperately tried to bury those dark intrusive thoughts deep within my psyche. Psyche, however, being the vindictive bitch she is, retaliated with unsolicited panic attacks. I manage to tough it out for another year; swallowing every ounce of pride and decency I had; But, enough was enough. It was time to make a change. Life was way too short to be this malcontent because of a job. I couldn't even recognize myself anymore. I was little more than a shell of my former self.

So, on Friday, January 13th 2023, with very little make-up on my face (just a little bit of mascara) I took whatever ounce of moxie I had left and said my farewells. My wonderful team took me out for a special goodbye lunch and then I was on my way. Jobless.

So what now? The truth is, I don't know. All I know is that I just turned 40 and I have no idea what I am doing. I am on a path of rediscovery and like many, I am just trying to figure it out as I go.

The only thing I do is know is that I have resolved to be more open and try new things. (Even if those things are gimmicky.) I want to travel, self-care, try some new hobbies and if I am lucky may be even make some money trying out some of the ridiculous trends going around.

I can't promise that every post is going to be gold, but I invite you to come along for the ride as I share my thoughts, likes, dislikes, and adventures. And hopefully, in the process, I will figure out what's next.