Moving forward

View of the Statehouse when I leave work

View of the Statehouse from my office building

This post has been a long time in the making. Since Nov 3 to be exact. I've rewritten it several times. Trying to decide how much to share & what is appropriate. Its been difficult for me to get my feelings down in words.

As you may have guessed by my silence on the subject since this last post, the Governor lost his re-election bid, which means that I will most likely be out of a job come this January. There is a small chance that I could be kept on because my position is not a high-level one, but I don't have high hopes.

I've had a love-hate relationship with my career. I started off being accepted into a prestigious paid internship at the Ohio House of Representatives about six years ago. From there, I've worked my way up in state government, all in positions regarding Legislative work.
The things I love about my career are being in the middle of the action. I love knowing what's going on behind closed doors & being involved in shaping policy for our state. Not to mention, the amazing friends I've made.  The hate part comes in the form of extreme partianship, the "politics" behind policy decisions, and three HORRIBLE experiences. In three separate jobs. In a row. One, a huge sexual harassment scandal (no I was not involved); two, a female boss who was a monster. The type of woman who says she's supportive of other women & then does nothing but the opposite. Lastly, a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde boss combined with the politics of a campaign. I know these vague descriptions don't mean much, but just trust me. They were all equally & horrifically soul-sucking experiences.
I'm trying to see this latest news as a positive. As an opportunity to start over in a new career that I'm excited and energized by. I've gone through different stages of grief now - shock, denial, anger, self-pity & its time to pick myself up & move forward. I think the most difficult part for me is that I just started working again after 9 months of being unemployed (It will be 3 months at the end of Nov that I've been working).

Yes, the job search will be brutal (sorry Woz, I know I'm not supposed to be negative) but I have so much to be thankful for: my wonderful & loving husband, my supportive parents & friends, my health, etc. I have a lot to look forward to & to be proud of - I'm still working steadily towards opening my Etsy shop (won't be long now...), I'm on my last week of training for a 5k in 30 minutes, & I'm going to visit a friend in DC in a couple weeks. Life is too good to waste it being miserable about something that's out of my control anyway!

I will go anywhere provided it is forward

~ David Livingstone

The above quote is from my friend Lakeisha & fellow state government worker, who is also out of a job come January. She texted me this when I was having a particularly rough day the other week & it really lifted my spirits. By the way, Lakeisha is a beautiful mother of three & rocks a pair of stiletto black books like no one's business. Thanks L!

And thanks everyone for reading. Hope you're having a great week!