These past few months have been quite a trip.
I put in my notice that I would be quitting next week for a better job. I drove an hour to work this morning to be told they didn't need me today, nor would they the remainder of the following week. Something I've learned to anticipate.
I shook the guys' hands, after I gave them some small holiday gifts of coffee and donuts, wished them well and left.
This was a perfect morning to reflect a bit. It's Christmas eve, and there isn't any traffic this early on the turnpike.
I left a job in New Orleans where I had good pay and security. My reasons to leave were numerous, more than I'll discuss here. But I remember the night before we left the Big Easy, me and my g/f had packed everything up, and with our roommate, cleaned out the apartment. The place was empty, save a cot and a sleeping bag on the floor for the two of us. We talked about how far we've come as a couple, what we will, and will not miss about New Orleans. Indulged in a discussion about our hopes and goals for the future. That next morning was bittersweet. We both loaded up our separate vehicles, kissed and held each other for a long moment before departing. I followed her truck to the on-ramps and watched as she merged onto 10 West towards Texas, as I sped onto 10 East towards Pennsylvania.
Things rarely work out as planned. Something that I've learned in my few years after highschool, in AmeriCorps, in life as an independent adult. You start in one place, with all these short term goals to get you toward your long term goals. Then one thing changes, then another, then another, to the point you sit back and look at the story that's been written, or the picture that's been drawn, and it looks nothing like you originally intended.
No, I didn't move into Center City with my old highschool friend.
No, I haven't gotten into the Union.
No, I didn't plan on staying with my father this long.
No, I didn't expect to have to take a significant pay cut to get working again.
No, I didn't realize that the rate of pay was so similar to that of the deep south, nor did I expect the economy up here to be this tough.
Her mother seem to put it best, me and my g//f seem to be drawn to making things as difficult for ourselves as possible. It's true, but somehow we manage to roll with it.
We both had good paying, stable jobs in New Orleans. We both could have moved to Texas where we could take advantage of her families work connections. Instead, I moved back into a garage turned bedroom with my father, and she eventually made it here to stay with a Chinese speaking acquaintance, paying 450 dollars a month for a basement room with no access to a kitchen, and windows that turned her room into a spectacle for the resident's two little children.
I've worked for 4 different electrical contractors in 5 months. Most of which thought they were God's gift to this economy, like they had us by the balls and we should be so grateful to have work we'd suck and swallow. To which I said politely said, "f*ck you, I found something better".
Maybe things will level out again, maybe they won't. For now they've made a turn for the better.
Regardless, I'm happy we've gotten this far, as individuals and as a couple. We've continued to test the limits of our relationship, and it's only become more resilient. Flexibility, and determination can take you a long way.
So here's to working towards a better life this coming year, for myself and all of you.
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