Life Update: I’m moving! Ooh, exciting, where to?? Well, that’s just it…
Long story short, in June I was laid off. Yes, believe it or not, this can happen to millennials. This change of events presented me with two paths to take, and I’ll be the first to admit, I took the harder one.
You see- I’m holding out for a dream job. I’ve been wanting to use my creative side in a full-time job for as long as I can imagine. So when the news came in June, I saw a giant sign flashing in my face saying “THIS IS IT, THIS IS YOUR SIGN” and I ventured out onto the path much less traveled. This meant severance and a deep dive into a job search outside of my industry. Four months later, still trying to land the damn thing, I now know why it’s the less popular option.
So, like I said I’m moving….into storage. And I’m embarking on a month-long couch-surfing trip, so you can basically call it a vacation, right?
Thanks to the extreme generosity of my friends, I have places to stay until Thanksgiving when I meet up with my family. After that, well I really don’t know what life has planned for me. I could have an offer in hand, and be apartment searching come my 27th birthday. Yeah, did I mention I might be homeless on my birthday? Moving on… I could still be searching, but the point is- I’m doing this.
I’ve followed a very safe, steady, somewhat straightforward path my entire life. I graduated from college with a job, excelled in my career, and when that wasn’t feeding the creative beast, I started a blog and became a Youtuber. This past year then threw me some curveballs. I moved in and out of an apartment, and moved out of a relationship. My dad, one of the fittest people I know, had a heart attack. Then in June, my company dissolved its industrial section, and now, having not signed an offer, I can’t sign a lease. So what have I done to keep on keepin’ on? In addition to my full-time job search, I’ve taken on freelance clients. Throwing myself into work seems like the only thing I still have control of, and I refuse to let a little difficulty keep me from succeeding.
Half of me sees this past year as really unfair for someone who’s always followed “the right path”. I’m a good person, I pay my taxes, I don’t litter. And yet, just as I’m getting my YouTube channel up and running, I now have to lose my filming space? As my mom often says “life’s not fair” and she’s right, but I won’t let that determine my outlook on all this change. I have my health, family, and friends, which is more than some people can say.
The other half of me sees this as an adventure, one that’s pushing me towards where I’m supposed to be, whether I like it or not. You see, when you play it safe for so long the thought of shaking things up a bit becomes less and less attainable. I used to look up at the sky and say “Alright, well, if I’m supposed to be doing something different, let me know.” So, I’m taking this as my official notice, that these things are happening for all the right reasons. Come 2019 I will be where I am supposed to be.
Preparing for this month-long surf, I’ve done some research. Guess what? There aren’t a ton of packing videos for the unemployed. Seeing as I’m not packing for a month in Greece, and rather a month of Chicago fall weather (pray for me) I figured I’d tailor the next couple of blogs towards this adventure. I’ll show you what I’m packing for a month “away”. I’ll show you how to be safely gluten-free in a guest’s kitchen. I’ll show you how not to lose your mind when you’re in your third week of couch surfing (If I start writing poetry, look away).
So, let’s do this, shall we? After all, I could use all the support (and recommendations) I can get to make this adventure as “fun” as possible so that when I look back on my life next year, I smile knowing I did it up right.
Life’s A Beacham
