...That's What She Said

On September 15th, I began writing a blog titled "Contentment with Content" and didn't get past the second line. It was going to be about how my career had taken a creative turn and express my joy over the full and complete transition from paralegal work into operations and web development. As a test run, I used free time to complete two different content writing projects with marketing keyword requirements... and I wrote circles around the crap that had been occupying my firm's web space. It was fun... and I got to use my writing skills... for work! Sadly, my joy was short lived as a professional was hired by one of the partners before my boss, the firm director, even had the chance to review my sample work. While I was disappointed, it tuned out to be a blessing in disguise. Since then, I've worn so many hats, I've got permanent, imaginary hat-hair. Until last week, I filled in as HR and Recruiting Manager... until I finally helped hire an HR Director. In between conducting a gazillion job interviews, I was also bombarded with enough projects under my fairly new "Product & Systems Manager" title to keep me busy enough to completely relinquish all paralegal duties. While I lost the opportunity to get paid for some creative writing, I did get a decent raise to write departmental operating procedures, training guides and study up on how to set up tracking systems in our case management system and write codes for custom reports. The latter parts of my job sent me to a software conference in New Mexico last month where I rubbed elbows with the top execs and brought my boss home some free stuff and new software tricks. All in all, management has stolen most of my free time for social networking, blogging and responding to personal emails... but it suits me (haha, suits me... get it?).

I thought I'd feel bad for selling out, going completely corporate and setting a good example with modest, professional attire... but I don't. I enjoy going to work every day. The six months I tried to work from home were a disaster, as much as I loved spending time with my son; I was a depressing mess. Now though, my little one is the smartest in his class and (as recently observed in a local playground) has learned the social art of politeness over violence. Each day I wonder how I could be more proud of him, and then each day trumps the one before. He loves his teachers and has a girlfriend whom he looks out for, while bossing around the other toddlers and helping the staff clean and organize. Part of me lives for the few hours a night we play and the weekends I devote solely to family... but I can't lie, the other part of me lives to climb the corporate chain. This may make me a suckier friend than I was in previous years, but I hope they all understand it's from lack of time and not lack of love. Then again, I don't have to hope... my closest friends have been rather busy themselves now that I think about it. Living in my thirties is so much different than my twenties, which was expected... but there are so many things I didn't see coming. I never thought I'd go more than a week without talking to those I considered best friends and I never thought I'd be so inconsiderate as to delay responses to texts and emails for hours, let alone weeks! I just hope all the thirty-somethings in my circle slow down enough to enjoy some of the things we used to... before we're... eeek... forty-somethings.