Skip to main content

Turning the Page

More people than I could possibly count without losing track have lost their jobs in this sucky economic situation. Well, not to be insensitive to the plight of the unemployed, but I have quit my job. Yep, voluntarily gave it up.

I have been a graphic designer since Eustacia, now 18, was three months old. No. 1 was three, and we were spending our days governed by snack time and nap time and Baby Beluga. I remember the day Husband called from work and asked if I'd like a job—it's something new—it's called desktop publishing. I learned to use a computer and a mouse and everything Adobe could come up with. Well, not quite everything because I stopped at web design.

Through everything that happens to people—the death of my father, the ups and downs of the economy, the growing up of our children, the growing up of me—I have designed book covers and catalogs and CD packaging, and that mouse I hardly knew what to do with 18 years ago has become an extension of my right hand.

But enough is enough, I say. I went from loving the job to hating it, from jumping into a publishing list to see what I could do with it to falling down into it and banging my head against the wall with each new title.

The average modern American changes jobs over a dozen times in a lifetime and changes careers three or four times. Being a graphic designer was my first long-term career, so now I guess here comes number two. I don't know what it is, exactly, but I'm hoping it will involve something I really enjoy doing and something I think I'm good at. Maybe it won't be just one thing but will simply be more of what my days are governed by now—horn playing time, lesson time, English class time, writing time and just breathing time.

So, here's to the next chapter or the next page or whatever is next.

Comments

Well done you! If you have the choice, there is no point doing what you don't enjoy anymore.

Here's to more writing, for leisure and purpose.

Er... can I have your old job? ;)
dive said…
It's probably just as well you quit your official job, Robyn, because with all the other work you do you couldn't have had time to eat or sleep!
Have a great time next week, by the way!
Shan said…
Wow! Well, congratulations on the closing of another era in your life. And the good thing about that job is that you can always use those skills in other ways. You are one of those ever evolving ever creating people that will always be interesting no matter what you are doing. :)
Sassy Sundry said…
Cheers! Welcome to UnemployedLand!
Shazza said…
Best of luck on your new page Robyn!

Love the new hat!
Lulubelle B said…
Best of Luck as you start your new chapter.

Is that an Easter bonnet? Could also be Mouse Ears. Just wondering...
MmeBenaut said…
I can so easily empathise with you Robyn and went through a similar process a few years ago. Although I was forced into it by "retirement on medical grounds" and moved from a high salary to an invalid pension, what I thought would be tough was actually a blessing and now my life is so full that I don't know how I ever had the time to work! Your life is full too, with writing and creating jewellry and artwork and other imaginative bits and pieces. Enjoy this time and especially your week with Eustacia. Well done!

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Birthday To...

Pope Leo IX (the Pope) JCF Bach (German composer) Jane Russell (of Gentlemen Prefer Blonds fame) Daniel Carter Beard (founder of the Boy Scouts of America) Jean-Paul Sartre (French philosopher) Maureen Stapleton (Academy Award winning actress) Mariette Hartley (who?) Prince William of Wales (the prince) but most importantly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 45 years ago today, I was born in Alabama in a small town on the banks of the Tennessee River. Yesterday, someone asked me if my family has any birthday traditions. The answer is no. My family never cared very much, but I do remember a few birthday highlights. I was given a birthday party in the back yard when I was ten years old. Two years later, my sister got married on my birthday, so I was just a bit overlooked, although I did get a stuffed animal--it was a white Yorkshire terrier with an AM radio in its stomach. When I turned 20, a different sister took me to an outdoor performance of Dvorak's New World Sympho...

Right Brain Dominant

I am reading A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future , by Daniel H. Pink. I wouldn't have chosen this book had I been book hunting because I lean toward fiction—it was a gift from someone who, like me, is right-brain dominate. I haven't gotten very far, just far enough to learn that in Hippocrates' day, the left side of the brain was considered the true source of thought, the thing that separated us from the animals and made us human. It was the source of reason and logic. The right side was considered a useless left over, a parasite. Now we know that both sides of our brains are equally important and equally involved in our daily thoughts and functions. But some of us do seem to be governed by one side more strongly than the other. Me, sometimes I think the left side of my brain has completely atrophied, that the right side governs everything. But I am learning that I don't give that other side enough credit, that logical mathy side. As I read on ab...

Everybody Needs A Little Crème Brûlée

I went out to dinner with some friends the other evening and ordered crème brûlée for dessert. It was lovely—crispy sugar crust and creamy custard underneath. I'm a bit of crème brûlée fan and order it more often than I order any other restaurant dessert, which is not to say I always order dessert—only now and then. On my way home, I remembered I had a crème brûlée kit at home with ramekins, a torch, and a basic recipe. I love the torch. So, now I have made my favorite dessert at home, and I recommend that everyone have crème brûlée. It makes the world better. I used the recipe on the box, which was simple and basic. My only suggestion for improvement is to use less sugar for the caramelized crust. It was so thick, it was like chipping away at glass. An ice pick would have come in handy, or a diamond. Other recipes suggest 1/4 cup to be divided among six ramekins, making just over 1 tablespoon per serving. Crème Brûlée serves 4 1 cup heavy cream 2 extra large egg yolks (I used 3 re...