Thoughts of LoWriter

Bu-bu-bu-BYE

Today, friends and neighbors, is the last day of my night job. I thought I would commemorate this event with a brief history.

Bear with me because I accidentally deleted everything I worked on. Ahh, user error. Isn't it a beaut? What's sad is that it was actually witty. There was wit. Wit was happening right before my very eyes. And then, much like my paycheck, it was gone.

I began at my night job in June of 2003 as a temp and shortly began working 50 hour weeks all summer because they were giving overtime, and I was broke. Then, I was hired in September of 2003 as a part time employee, and I have been working 16+ hours per week (in addition to my day job) ever since. I will be going to on call status, which basically means that if I am free and they have work, I will show up.

This means that I'll have time for things now that I haven't had time for in three years:

+Coming home at 4:30 and napping in the sun under fuzzy blankies
+watching a cheesy game show and the national news while cooking something yummy that doesn't come from a box
+continuing to learn to play my harmonica
+writing something just for fun
+singing
+taking a walk in the park before it's dark outside
+reading something good (June book total = 0 so far)
+seeing friends whenever I feel like it.

And maybe I'll go nuts and try some new things like find a gaming group (or start one) or a book club! Maybe I'll even (gasp) break out the roller blades this summer or play broomball this winter.

Don't get me wrong; I'll miss the people and the money. The people are great and kind, and the work is easy. They always told me how much they valued me, which, let's face it, is huge for me. And the money was a lot of fun. But the thing I am starting to realize is this: Money is a slave driver. You start out, and you think, "I'll just make this goal," but then, you get there and there's something else you want. So you have to find a way to make even more money.

I'm starting to see that, unless you became excessively rich overnight, you would always up your standard of living to coincide with the rate of money coming in. So basically, you can have freedom or you can have money. That's not to say that I am not going to miss dropping money on DVDs whenever I feel like it and buying the sisters a meal now and then and being able to get an expensive meal myself because I feel like it.

But then there are the things that money can't buy. And those things? I'm really looking forward to enjoying them again.

So, here's to the night job. Part of me is very sad to leave it behind, so I'm glad I'm still on call. It helped me attain a number of my goals (paid off car, getting in the general direction of grad school, bought a new computer, acquired medical records experience, met new people, funded pretty much everybody's Christmas presents from me). It also taught me a lot of things about time management and money and what's valuable. It taught me to be disciplined, and, now, when to let go.

Posted by LoWriter at June 15, 2006 08:39 AM