The theme for January's NaBloPoMo on BlogHer is PRESSURE. I think it's pretty funny, considering that we've just left the most pressure-filled time of year. Pressure to get all your shopping done. Pressure to meet the expectations of family and friends. Pressure to make deadlines at work, despite the holiday craziness. Your blood-pressure rising because of all the traffic and lines and chaos. I honestly feel like here, now, just after midnight on New Year's Eve, I finally feel the pressure breaking. Sweet, sweet relief.January marks new beginnings for everyone, of course. For me, it has long been the month I have to make a few decisions about my life. I gave myself till January to figure out how to make things work with two jobs. I gave myself till now to figure out if I could stay in the Pacific Northwest. And if I can keep working in retail.
I haven't made all the decisions yet. Luckily, the month isn't over yet. But I did make one important decision. I decided to resign from one of my jobs. A few months ago, it would have been hard to choose between them. But the holidays showed me which one would be more stable for me, which would provide better, and which would offer more opportunities in the future. Thus, my time with Lush ends mid-January.
I have been a fan of Lush for many years now. And leaving the company will not lessen my love of the products. I will truly miss seeing the people I've had the pleasure of working with, both at my current store and those I got to see every so often at training. But, the moment I gave my notice, I felt that bubble of pressure in my chest burst.
I don't know how people manage two jobs in the same field. I honestly thought my two would balance each other out, but they actually proved to be too much together. I was tired all through the holidays, I had very little time to myself and when I got sick right before Christmas, it hit me hard. I really think I am getting too old for this. But that's okay, it helped me make a firm decision and it will help me figure things out from here on out. Maybe my theme for this year should be reducing pressure in all aspects of my life.
