Expanding my comfort zone

Thank you all so much for your words of wisdom regarding my last post.  And a big huge squishy rib-crunching hug goes out to Jolie for taking time out of your day to give me honest thought about my situation.  You're a peach and I'm totally taking your advice to heart.  I use my blog for everything else, why not use it to flesh out my job desires?  Who knows, I might be able to help someone else.  I've learned that I'm not alone in my happiness, sadness, good times or bad and God KNOWS I'm not the only one out there looking for a job.  So here goes.

But first, a little 'I hate that fucking dog' moment.  Not a whole lot of time goes by around here without having one of those.  

The dog has now learned how to open doors that are not completely shut.  She has learned to nudge it open with her nose to go wherever she pleases.  We try to be vigilant about making sure the bathroom and closet doors stay closed so she can't get in the trash or grab our shoes.  We are not always successful and she has destroyed my slippers in the past.  Drew's mom got me another pair of slippers in New York and the dog destroyed THOSE too.  I wish I could put something on all my shoes that would shock the shit out of her the second she put them in her mouth.

This morning I awoke to the unmistakable sound of her chewing on rubber.  The squeaking noise didn't register at first, but then my sleepy brain told me that she has rubber rings.  Except the rubber rings were in the front room.  I woke up all the way at that realization.

 

I hate that fucking dog.

My Rainbows!!!!!!  I got those shortly after I started college in 2004!!!!!  They mold to your feet and they're super soft and I loved them!!!!!  And they're EXPENSIVE!  I had to step outside to breathe on that one.  My chest was all tight and I wanted to cause grievous harm to that dog and I hadn't felt that in a while.

I was ready to chalk the whole day when I got Jolie's comment.  I read it like five times and it changed my mindset.  It got me thinking.  And planning.  Soon I was calm and simply decided to replace my Rainbows.  I got dressed and made a list of errands to run today, including the Rainbows-replacement-store.

I got everything on my list crossed off and with it came a huge sense of accomplishment.  I didn't figure out what I want to do with my life but I was productive and that counts.  It gave me the fuel to come here to the library at my school and complete some of the job-related tasks I set for myself.  Among them is a baby step towards networking.

I hate the word, the concept and the thought of meeting total strangers gives me panic attacks.  Even networking sites like LinkedIn are too intimidating for me.  Then I had my a-ha moment.  LinkedIn isn't the only site!  So I posted a couple of ads on craigslist offering my services as a Spanish and French tutor as well as another for yoga classes.  I can meet people who are interested in those things because at least we'll have that in common.

Then I found meetup.com.  I knew it existed but only in an abstract sense.  I entered my zipcode to see what would come up and I was floored!  There are ALL KINDS of groups out there.  I joined all the Spanish and French language groups that looked cool and even RSVP'd to a couple of their events.  I'm telling y'all this so I can remain accountable.  I promise I'll tell you if I don't go and I don't want to have to do that.  I joined some professional women's groups and wrote that I was looking for a mentor.  I even joined some yoga groups and some 'meet fun girlfriends' groups.  

THIS is what could work for me.  I could meet people in a softer type environment rather than some hard-core "networking event" and go about looking for a job that way!  I'm excited about it and feel really good about this first step.  And it's because of you - you who commented and you who sent good vibes gave me the strength to find something new and try it.

All on a day that started out super terrible!  Oh, and I decided not to get a replacement pair of Rainbows.  I actually have a similar pair with thicker soles and I decided to spend the money I would have spent on wooden hangers for the closet.  We went shopping last weekend for some new work clothes for Drew and Nordstrom Rack had a set of 8 wooden hangers for $5!!  I love how they look and I begged Drew to get them for me.  He got me three sets and I hung them before I left the house this morning.  I loved them so much I had to get more, so I got the rest today.  I'm totally patting myself on the back because a new pair of Rainbows would have been $50 and I spent $40 on the hangers.  Yea me!

Thanks again you guys.  You rock!