day one

December 1, 2008

Today is the official beginning of my unemployment or what I am affectionately referring to as my sabbatical (or in a more cynical vane, my retirement). Perhaps I ought to have spent the day polishing my résumé, sending out cover letters and in general job hunting. Maybe when I run out of money, I will regret not getting a jump on those things but I have decided – in a way honoring of what a sabbatical is meant to be – to hold off on seeking employment for at least one week. My hope is two-fold; in those seven days my writing career will have taken off and money will no longer be a problem and more likely, that after seven days of whiling away my afternoons divided mainly between the Huntington Gardens and other picturesque spots, Lucky Baldwin’s notwithstanding, I will be bored. Or with more hope, in seven days I remember all the things I like in life and moreover all of the things I like about myself and those other issues I tend to wrestle with will just shake themselves out. I might squeeze in some soul searching especially if the weather is nice and just maybe trot into Borders and peruse What Color is Your Parachute – blue, right? Or maybe that’s just it – all of this time I have envisioned my parachute as being blue when really it is (or was?) some unimaginable color like chartreuse or ecru or worse yet chartreuse and ecru striped. If only life, vocation and other meaningful endeavors were that formulaic.

How did I actually spend my day? I did visit my therapist who is about to begin his own practice which I somehow feel proud of him for. I did walk around the Rose Bowl while listening to a Mars Hill podcast. I did pay my rent which thankfully I won’t have to do for the rest of the year. I did screw around on the internet for approximately thirty minutes during which time I made a phone date with a dear friend for later on this week. I did eat left-over mashed potatoes from thanksgiving that I mixed with half-and-half and cheese to become bootleg potato cheese soup. I did go to the Huntington Gardens where I spent the better part of three hours reading Wally Lamb’s latest book, listening to Ben Harper and because I fancy myself an amateur photographer, snapping pictures like mad.

Finally, I did begin this blog which I will maintain throughout this season of my life. I have tried to start a blog on at least three other occasions but am resolute that this time I will stick with it. I suppose my reasons for losing steam over previous attempts at blogging center around my unwillingness to believe others out there will actually give a rip about the ramblings of someone like me. However, if I ever really want to give writing a shot, I need to heed the advice of Anne Lamont and Steven King (that’s a pair I’d love to split a bottle of wine with) that I must write every day. This blog will provide me with my own sort of built in accountability for that goal. I intend to do other types of writing but at the very least I should be able to complete a measly blog entry. Plus, now that I have a bit more of a theme, perhaps the blogging will be more cohesive/interesting.