Thoughts on a year ago...

Sometimes it's crazy to me when I sit and compare my life today to my life last year on this day. It's just crazy how fast things can change - and I didn't even half the life changes some of you have had in the past year... getting married, having a baby, graduating college... etc... the list goes on and on! It's such a simple concept, but things really can change in the blink of an eye.

Last year at this time I was in my first semester of graduate school, but only taking two classes. I was still working full time at Justice (a large children's retailer) and literally counting down the days for when I could turn in my notice (which was soon!). My strategy of just pretending I was still at Club Libby Lu had completely worn off and was no longer working. I couldn't pretend anymore, and I was miserable.

Managing this location, which is a three million dollar store, with a staff of 20-50 (depending on the time of year) and starting school again after six years was ROUGH. There are no other words to describe it. I do not recommend it.

It was around this time that I knew I would turn in my notice around Thanksgiving weekend. I wanted to tell my boss in person, and although I wasn't leaving until January, I wanted to give her plenty of time to find a replacement. Or, possibly help hire my replacement.

So, I was juggling this crazy high volume store, getting ready for Christmas, hiring like a crazy person (which is a job ALONE), taking my first round of midterms in six years - and oh yeah, in a relationship that I knew wasn't going to work. It wasn't working.

Yikes.

Fast forward one year...

• I am taking SIX graduate courses (one is already done, so only five now).
• I have two part times jobs instead of one crazy full time job. (The beauty of these two part time jobs? I control the schedule. Completely.)
• The relationship that wasn't working last year is long gone.
• And I hate the mall.
  

As I was sitting with two of my favorite clients on Wednesday night in their weekly "Friendship Class" it was between bingo and crafts, that this all hit me. It was only a year ago. Just one measly year ago, and now... I'm doing something that is much more meaningful and I'm helping others, while also bettering myself. Wow... wow, in such a good way.

That feels amazing.

I like to keep my old planners so I can refer back to them if I need to. It's kind of weird, but they're sort of like journals, and you know from yesterday's post that I like to journal! When I went to look up last year on this date, I couldn't find my planner (I totally just typed journal instead of planner, lol). I know I didn't throw it away, so I don't remember exactly what I was doing, but I have the basic idea.

Now that I have the Erin Condren planner with lots of space to write, I'm trying to take even more anecdotal type notes. This way I can remember all of the good things in life that I want to remember. That's important.

Point is, things change so fast. It's so easy to get down about how things are right now, but within a week, month, 6 months or a year, your life could be completely and utterly different.

What were you doing fall of last year? Has your life changed very much?

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