Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Waiting for returns

When you have a baby on the way, you start to look for inefficiencies in your life. No matter what road it takes you down.


Here's an example: in a regular five-day workweek there are 120 hours available, and I spend ten of them driving to and from work. You'd be surprised how little I accomplish during this time. Besides regret.

I have difficulty fully explaining to people how I ended up the operations manager of a company I've never heard of, in an industry I know little to nothing about, in a city I promised myself I would never return to, which is 55 miles away from my new home. Basically I spent two years chasing a dream, and by the time I realized it wasn't going to happen, I learned my first post-college lesson: always have an exit strategy. After a pretty serious crash and burn, I went with another dream, which led me back to Indiana where the only contact that could help got me to where I am today.

I've had plenty of time to think about it, especially on those long drives home. As the sun sets to my right, I ponder how I will summarize the last three years. In interviews. To my parents. To my children. To the students I hope to be teaching someday. It will probably just become one small bulletpoint in an extraordinarily long PowerPoint presentation.

Lesson two: don't expect immediate returns in your efforts. Still, I'm hoping the returns start coming soon. I have five exit strategies in waiting.

Track 3: "Hot Soft Light" by The Hold Steady from "Boys and Girls in America"
[iTunes] [website]

Great rock song from a great rock album. By the time the lead singer gets to "there are guys," you most likely will be shouting along.

2 comments :

  1. Sandra said...

    While I obviously don't know the whole story about how you ended up back in a place you didn't anticipate landing, I can absolutely understand the weirdness that goes along with working as a means to an end -- in some cases, the end being paying the bills and making sure you can enjoy a decent lifestyle.

    You'll sort out the best of all worlds. Apparently you have plenty of time to think about how in the car...!

  2. Jennie said...

    you're lovely. the truth and honesty in your life lessons is genuine and humbling. you've still got time for dreams. :)