Balance

I sit here pondering what's happened with my life over the past month. I've been in my position for a little over seven weeks now. I feel like I'm only just beginning to get my life back to a balancing point. I had been out of a job for so long that despite the stress of job hunting, my time was fairly balanced and I was able to accomplish everything that I had committed to. On my commute into work today, I mulled over how long it takes to adjust to major life changes. As adaptable a person you might be, things like full-time jobs are going to force you to cut out activities you did when you weren't working all day, every day. Even if you were a total slacker. Which, I have realized, I wasn't.

I do miss the activity that I cut out of my life because it was extremely enjoyable. In order to fulfill other, more professional, commitments I have made, it had to go. Without realizing it, I have also cut out my pleasure reading time. That's something that I refuse to let go, so I have to figure out how to work it back in. Those few hours a week have helped keep me sane over the last few years, and frankly, you need to balance the serious with the frivolous.

I've found for myself that keeping my life in tune requires me to be more stringent about my time management. I get things done, but my past pattern is getting them done 5 minutes before they're due. That's not going to cut it any longer.

Since this blog has lay fallow for the last month, I have to rethink where I want to take it. Active writing such as this requires active re-evaluation. I have a number of topics I could talk about, and I may decide to talk about all of them or something else. I will write more often. This is something that means a lot to me, and I've felt guilty about not writing. No more. It wastes too much energy.

Maybe finding balance in my life will be an underlying theme to my writing here. I think that is something that professionals in the beginning stages of their careers must face. Do I stay here in this place with my significant other, or do I move to that exciting new opportunity? (Providing that you're female of course) Do I place my career on hold to have children, or do I continue on while trying to also raise a family, or do I not want the traditional family model of having kids at all? Not that I'm going to have to face any of these decisions in the near future, I am trying to balance my professional life with my life outside of the profession. Some things to ponder. I am happy to be back, and I hope that you, dear readers, are too.

PS - To the reader who asked why I became a librarian: flip answer - it's genetic (3rd generation). Long answer - I truly enjoy helping people and I enjoy digging around for information. I felt like I came home when I made the decision to quit my first job and go back to school.