And, suddenly, a moment of clarity
Thursday afternoon. Last night, while watching "West Wing" (not doing the laundry!), I lazily started thinking about what I want to do with myself, where I want to be in 10 years, and what brings me True Joy. This is tougher than you might think.
Joy is not just the absence of being unhappy. It's not necessarily being "happy", either. Joy is that feeling that starts in your toes and works it way through your body, warming and enlivening every fiber. It fills you up such that, sometimes, it's just too much to bear. That is Joy and it's not something that I've felt much in my life.
Suddenly, as I sat there watching the actors on my favorite show, I realized how simple the answer really was. As anyone who knows me in my real life knows, my dream job is to be the White House Chief of Staff (Leo on "West Wing"). I love politics. I love articulating and formulating policy, I love the energy of managing crises, and I love the idea of being able to make people's lives better. I do some of that (especially managing crises), but it just isn't enough for me any more. I want more.
So, I made a decision: I want to become a professional political operative again! Once the decision was made, the wheels started rolling along at an amazing clip. I called a few friends from my political days to get their input for a good place for me to start and found that one of our candidates for Mayor is looking for a Deputy Policy Director. I did some work for this same candidate when I was still in college, so I took a chance, gave his office a call, and asked if I could come over for an interview this afternoon. After digging through my closet to find a suit, stockings, high heels, and appropriate briefcase, I was off. I got a few interesting looks here at work because I haven't ever worn stockings, nor my suit, but I just laughed and said that I had nothing else to wear (not a lie, I might add). The interview went incredibly well. The candidate did remember me and stopped by to say hello, and, well, they offered me the job. Wowee!
It's less money than I'm making now and no benefits, and I don't care. I told them that I'd think about it and let them know, but I already know what I want. I'm getting ready to walk into my boss' office with my resignation letter, offering two weeks' notice, and then I'm going to go out and celebrate.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part. The campaign doesn't need me to start for another month, so I'm cashing in all of my stock options and heading to the Lake Austin Spa Resort for two weeks!!! WoooHooo. Before I go, though, it's Nordie's time! I need suits, more pumps, more business-like jewelry, and a new briefcase. You know, I think I can write that all off as business expenses, too. OK, probably not the Lake Austin part, but the new clothes and accessories.
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Update: Everything except the first three paragraphs is total hooey, hogwash, and a mean old April Fools' joke. I can't believe anyone really thought I was crazy enough to quit my job for an uncertain future with no benefits (and cash in all of my stock options, too). Wow, perhaps I need to hang out with you guys more often so that I can become bolder!!!
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