During this week of Thanksgiving, I want to talk about something I usually spend a lot of time complaining about—without the complaints. Yes, I hate having to leave the house every morning at 7:10am. I hate having to dress up while my sister authors are working in their pj’s all day. And I hate having to give up 8 hours a day (plus an hour commute round trip) to do something that doesn’t inspire passion in my soul.
But there are good things about my day job too! I’m going to share a few of them with you.
1. I make guaranteed money.
That should be a given for every job, but some salaries suck more than others. I make a decent wage and bring home a decent paycheck every other week. Not as big as I’d like, what who’s is? Getting paid for writing is great, but not very consistent. My job gives myself and my family stability.
2. It’s a low stress environment.
I’ve worked in some high-tension places before. The job I have now has very little tension in my department. That makes for less stress and an easier start to every day. Plus stress sucks the energy out of me, leaving very little for my writing. So low stress=happier writer.
3. I can write there…sorta.
I can’t actually do a full-on write there, but I have plenty of busywork that let’s my mind wander, and I can make notes while I’m there. So even though I’m not actually writing, I’m thinking about it, processing it, so that when I can write, I actually accomplish something.
Combining writing with a full-time day job and family is hard work. There are days when I don’t want to get up, don’t want to get ready and leave the house. But in times when jobs can be scarce, I’m more grateful for mine than I sound sometimes.
What are you thankful for this week?
Dani
Winner! The winner for my Home for the Holidays blog is Missie Jones! Missie, look for an email from me in your box! Thanks, everyone for the comments
No comment to “Thankful for the Day Job”
Ella Sheridan - November 25, 2013
I’m thankful for my pjs. :p Seriously, though, I might work in my pjs, but I am thankful to have a job a little more stable than writing tends to be. Thanks for the reminder, Dani!
Dani Wade - November 25, 2013
Ah, pjs! My weekend uniform. I miss them during the week. 🙂