Note: Okay, so this one's about July. And this post is more than a little late. But hey, it's not my fault. As you'll see, the universe decided to get a little extra. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some stories to tell and a whole new life to figure out.
The Patience Paradox
My last blog was a whole vibe, wasn't it? A tribute to existential dread and the deep, spiritual connection one can have with a grocery store's apple display. The struggle was so real, I thought it might become my new identity. But then, as it so often does when you're busy perfecting the art of doing absolutely nothing, life decided to get interesting. And by "interesting," I mean two very big, very real job opportunities decided to drop into my lap simultaneously. I'm not going to lie, those months of waiting, of refreshing my inbox like it was a sacred text were brutal. But now, with a little distance, I can see that this waiting period was a masterclass in patience. Or, more accurately, it was a masterclass in not having a choice. I had to learn to trust the process, even when the only "process" I was seeing was a pile of rejection emails. The universe was basically a passive-aggressive indian parent, saying, "You'll get a job when you stop asking me for one." And you know what? It worked.
A Tale of Two Opportunities
First, the universe threw me a bone. An actual, a semi-structured, semi-paying bone. My team and I got selected for this cool DIU fellowship program. It paid a stipend. A real, bona fide paycheck. I'm pretty sure my bank account didn't even know it was allowed to have that many zeroes. It was like going from a financial desert to a surprise rainstorm. A light, misty rainstorm, but a rainstorm nonetheless.
Then, just as I was getting used to having a few dollars and a little purpose, Spotlight Security AI came calling. The interview process was crazy fast, a chaotic whirlwind of "what's your availability tomorrow?" and "what's your hourly rate?" LOL, as if I had an hourly rate that wasn't just the minimum wage. In one of the interviews, I realized the role was a little different from what I had originally applied for. My inner monologue was a scream of pure, unadulterated panic. But I took a deep breath, channeled the confident energy of a Golden Retriever who just found a tennis ball, and decided to just roll with it. I started thinking, "Look, I can do this. And if I can't, it's a funny story for a blog post. So it's a win-win." Getting both offers within days of each other was a whole new level of chaos. A good kind, sure, but still a kind of chaos that made my brain short-circuit a little.
From Baking and Budgeting to Meal Prepping
Remember how I was baking cookies and making questionable pizzas because I had nothing else to do? Well, that all stopped. My life did a complete 180. The time I used to spend staring into the void was now spent prepping a week's worth of meals on Sundays because there was no way I'd have time to cook during the week. This, my friends, is what you call a glow-up. It's not glamorous, but it's a glow-up. But it wasn't just the jobs. All this was happening while I was hunting for a new apartment. My lease was up, and in the span of three months, I ended up moving twice. Moving is a special kind of hell, but moving while starting two new professional adventures is a level of hell I wouldn wish only on my worst enemy. I'm pretty sure my friends now think of me as "the person who is always moving."
In the middle of all the madness, my amazing friends came to visit for the Fourth of July. We went to Niagara to see the fireworks, and for a few days, I completely forgot about the job, the fellowship, and the moving madness. It was a much-needed reminder that there's more to life than work and adulting. My sanity, as it turns out, is a non-negotiable part of my operating system.
So, yeah. That's why I've been quiet. I went from having too much time on my hands to not having enough. It's a huge shift, and honestly, a little overwhelming. But it's also incredibly exciting. I'm finally using my brain in ways I haven't before, and for the first time in a while, I'm not just treading water; I'm actually swimming.