Two Months, The Journey So Far, and A New Journey Starting

Today marks the end of week 8. It's hard to believe I have been writing my new story for two months already (although sometimes it feels like it's been about 6 years). Weigh-in was fantastic today and am officially down 25 pounds in 8 weeks. The loss for this week was unexpected, to be honest, due to being on vacation....vacation food isn't exactly the healthiest food all the time (but I did make a conscious effort to eat responsibly and we worked out! That was the first time that's ever happened on a vacation I've taken).

Every year, K and I go on our annual "road trip" where we have a couple rules: We cannot stay at a chain hotel, we cannot eat at any chain restaurants and we have to try to take "the road less traveled" as often as possible (aka, limited highways, turnpikes, toll roads, etc.). We have these "rules" so we can get as much out of the journey as possible. It's not very fun to just sit in traffic on a turnpike for hours, where all you see are brake lights, orange barrels and concrete, just to end up in a Holiday Inn that looks exactly like the one the next city over, then eating dinner at Applebee's where the menu is the same all around the country. The journey should be just as great as the destination itself.

I keep trying to view my life the same way. I don't want to sit in a dead end job, staring at a computer screen, having to work somewhere I can't stand, and having no time to actually go out and experience life because of a paycheck. I don't want to have a huge income because society finds me more acceptable if I do (just remember: society started reality tv and made people like Justin Beiber and Nicki Minaj famous...think about it. Do you really want to conform to society's standards?). I don't want to drive a nice car with an astronomical car note because society says I'll look more successful. I don't want thousands upon tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt so I can whip out a platinum colored piece of plastic to pay for some designer name that won't make me any better of a human being. And I don't want to have to work 4 different jobs that I hate just try to pay for it all. That's not living. Working hard is a good thing, but it depends on what you're working toward and if the work itself is fulfilling. 10 years down the road, will you look back and feel like you accomplished something? 15 years down the road, will you be where you want to be because of what you chose to do today? 20 years down the road, will you have incredible memories to think back on, laugh about, to enjoy? Or will you think back and just remember sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen all day?

I'm currently in this situation. I have a dead end job (disclaimer: I am grateful I have a job I am able to go to. And I am thankful to have the job I currently have because, if I didn't, I never would've met J and wouldn't be on this new journey right now. But some things in life are just stepping stones). I sit at a desk, stare at a computer, answer a couple phone calls and push a button to unlock a door. I have passions that are stifled in a corporate office setting. I have a career I want to pursue. And I have the support from others that would back me to pursue said passion. Having the time out of state to step away from my everyday life and breathe for a minute gave me new perspective. It gave me time to think. It gave me the opportunity to finally make some more decisions. I've decided that the dead end jobs have to stop. My passion is worth fighting for and pursuing. Chapter Two of my story will be starting soon. I'm excited to start the new journey.