Good Things Happen to Those Who Wait

The day has finally come when I have some positive news to share about my job search: I have one!

I have so many feelings bubbling up inside me in light of these recent developments, but what's really worth sharing is this: over the past two years of on-and-off unemployment, I have learned a tremendous amount about myself. Unemployment has tested my mettle like no other circumstance could.

When kind and concerned friends and family suggested I look into a career in design or short-term solutions like admin jobs, I did my best to thank them for their advice while trying to hold fast to my intended career: education, specifically early-childhood education and, even more specifically, Head Start.

I applied to countless jobs, interviewed many times and revised my resume more than a person should admit; all the while the results remained the same--no job. I lamented my unemployment. I reexamined every career decision I had made. I declared that I would never be given a second chance to prove my skills and my commitment to quality early childhood education for children living in poverty. I cried.

But through all of this, all two-plus years of this deeply traumatic experience, I've been the beneficiary of unwavering love, unending support and unceasing encouragement from those closest to me, especially from my husband. Without Adam, there were times when I could have drifted off into a sea of sadness; with him, I always found the shore.

But the time has come to finally look ahead to the prospect of new opportunities, new colleagues and new intellectual challenges. I think I'm ready to get back in the game. I've been on the sidelines long enough.

I'm a working woman again (actually, I start on Monday). And for the first time in a long time, the job will incorporate a both sides of me--education and design. I'd like to refrain from too much detail (for the sake of my own privacy) but my future colleagues have read my blog and have acknowledged it as a special skill set. How great is that?

What does this mean for the blog, my Etsy shop, home projects and the like, you ask?

I plan to keep it all up. I'll probably post about 3 times per week and will keep up with my Etsy shop just as before. It has been an endeavor that's given me purpose, income and self-efficacy when I had none.

All that said, I am forever changed by my unemployment experience. I haven't fully processed the full effect extended joblessness has had on me, but I know this: good things happen to those who wait and to those who work hard to realize their dreams.

Wishing you all a very happy weekend! Thank you for your support, thoughts and prayers over the last two years--they've certainly had a hand in my changing circumstance.