I Quit!

Those of you who know me personally know that I like to stay busy. Social distancing and working from home last Spring was pretty difficult for this extrovert, but I managed for several months.

When restaurants started opening up again my husband took me out for a late dinner at a local steakhouse. I noticed that the tables weren’t bussed and the one waitress on duty looked stressed, even though she kept a megawatt smile on her face. I mentioned how busy she seemed and she informed me that they were hiring.

I looked excitedly at my husband, who looked unsurprised and a little resigned when I asked for an application.

“You’ve never waitressed before,” he reminded me.

“I’ve always wanted to though.” And besides it was in a cool historic, reportedly haunted, hotel and museum and I was currently researching small town ranching and thought I could get some ideas for one of my WIPs (Works in Progress).

Things started like a whirlwind. On my second day I ended up working back to back shifts at two separate locations, and things didn’t slow down. It was fun and interesting and I was gathering so much good material. But when my other job at the middle school started back up, it was a struggle to balance things. I had really grown to love my coworkers and the restaurant (the tips weren’t bad either).

But, even though it was causing me stress, I didn’t want to quit. Other people were quitting and I felt guilty, even though I had only meant to work until the end of summer. So, I struggled along and made the best of things.

This went on for a few months. Then I saw this post on Facebook- I’m not sure where it originated, but I will credit it when I find it- that made me rethink things:

It made me reflect on why I always feel the need to juggle three jobs, my family, my housework, my spiritually, my writing, my hobbies, etc. It’s true that I am more productive and happier when I have an outside job or calling, but why am I always agreeing to do so many things? It’s all a form of procrastinating.

So I did it. I quit my job at the restaurant. And I’m going to use that research I’ve gathered to finish that novel and stop putting things off that need my attention. It was hard because I hate disappointing people or feeling like I let someone down. But sometimes in life, doing what you need to do for your own mental health will mean letting someone else down. Do what’s best for you anyway.