Now, On With Life...

Now that the turmoil of the holidays is past, I'm facing anew all those questions about what to do with my life. It made sense to postpone job searching until after New Year's, because no one would be hiring during the holidays anyway. But now things in the working world are ramping up again, as we all return to life as usual.

So the question is, do I continue to just take it easy for a while, or do I begin searching in earnest? There isn't any compelling financial reason why I can't just take time and relax. My expenses are pretty low (especially if I sell my apartment) and I'm lucky enough to have no pressing financial obligations or responsibilities (like debts, or children or elderly parents who need my support). It's more a question of spending vs. saving the money that I have -- and I'm not talking about doing anything drastic like dipping into my 401K or selling plasma!

I'm thinking I should just pay attention to my own happiness. There will probably come a time when just "hanging out" will no longer be a pleasant option, and I'll feel compelled to find work. But until then, why not just hang out? I'm having fun spending time with the dogs and taking care of our apartment.

I had considered doing some creative writing during this period, and I even tried a little bit. But frankly, I'm not sure I'm much of a storyteller at heart. I can't even tell a joke very well, much less an entire short story or novel! I may play around with that a bit more, and see what happens, but I'm thinking writing a novel is not really my thing.

Some of you have suggested doing more with my photos, and that's an avenue I do plan to pursue. I at least want to find out a bit more about the process of getting an agent, finding a publisher, that sort of thing. They may not be book material, but maybe they'd work on greeting cards or calendars or something -- who knows?

(Photo: The field behind our apartment, this morning. I was walking the dogs when I took this shot. It was about 20 degrees out.)