Taking the Plunge

At the end of April I made a snap decision that could have turned out to be either daringly bold or crashingly stupid. I walked out of my day job at the supplement factory, a job which I mostly loved. Like a bad relationship though, there came a point where I decided that the parts I loved (my customers, formulating and working with my sister) no longer outweighed the negatives of the situation (ahem). I was tired of waking up every day with a heavy feeling in my stomach about what I might have to face when I got to the office. As a firm expounder of 'vote with your feet' I decided to practice what I preach, even though it was bloody terrifying.

I had a vague idea about hiring myself out as a consultant in the areas of product formulation and regulatory compliance as well as giving Sana Direct some TLC, but in my less confident moments I fretted that I'd just set myself on the path to being bored and broke. Um.. no. In my first week of supposed unemployment I got an influx of orders through Sana Direct to a level that was at least 300% more than any other week since 2005. Then I got a call from someone who needed an experienced product formulator asap to put together a swanky new high-end product (the sort of job that really spins my wheels). Since then I've had some big, exciting opportunities in compliance work and a trickle of technical writing jobs, which in this industry means reading 10 pages of jargon-ridden gobbledegook and turning it into a simple statement like 'Zinc + Mag + B6 work synergistically to help you sleep better'. I'm getting the feeling that taking the plunge has allowed things to come my way that, naturally, would not have previously, much like removing the debri from a river. Also, back when I thought I'd be wallowing in my inactivity, I made another big decision.

Feeling all motivated, probably from a combination of clean food and boxing class, I got online and signed myself up for full-time study at the Uni. My field is Health Science and I've been grinding my way through the degree for the last five or six years, part time. Now, my patience has run out and I just want to get the thing finished, so that's the plan, Stan. Exciting as all of this is I may have to make some sacrifices. Of course there are financial considerations when studying fulltime and working part-time, but I'm talking about real hardships. I may, for example, have to experience a painful reduction in CSI:Miami time (O.M.G) and please feel free to slap me if I start to pine for H and his one-liners. It's a very good thing that a welcome side effect of the 'no potatoes, wheat, dairy or any CRAP' diet is a fantastic feeling of energy. No sugar swings, no caffeine crash, just skipping along feeling like Pollyanna. Was she the one with the crazy braids that stick out? I wonder how you get that effect? As a student I could probably get away with it and I'm sure my consulting clients don't care what I do with my hair, except perhaps on audit day (shudder).

No, wait, that's Pippi Longstockings. Long, stripy socks. Perhaps I'll do that instead.