Life is too short.
Today, I feel compelled to share a photo with you. I look at my Timehop and the "on this day" on my Facebook feed nearly every day. Most of the time I enjoy perusing through these photos and links, reminiscing about special moments I shared on social media.
The photo on the left is one taken three years ago today at a work meeting while the one on the right was taken just a few days ago. I wanted to share the obvious, and not so obvious, changes that have occurred within the last three years, which have greatly impacted the way I see the woman on the left and the right.
The girl on the left:
She is 27-years-old. She works as an assistant manager at a restaurant anywhere between 55-65 hours per week. She works an opposing schedule of her husband and barely sees her kiddo. She sneaks cigarettes out by the dumpster hoping that no one sees her. She comes to work tired and leaves exhausted. She recently began taking a statistics class at the community college in preparation for applying to grad school. Her boss does not support this decision as it impacts her availability to work. She cries in the office when no one is around. She sometimes hides from her child when she is at home because her anxiety is so high. She is miserable.
The woman on the right:
She is 30-years-old. She has been married for 7 years and enjoys her 8-year-old daughter. She works at a job that combines her passion for helping others, traveling, and changing the dialogue about mental health on a normal work schedule. She spends her free time with her family, and she volunteers with several local organizations. She recently graduated from graduate school with a GPA of 3.9. She is happy.
I catch myself on occasion feeling downtrodden because of my current weight and feeling wistful for a smaller waist, but I force myself to remember how anxious, depressed, and uncertain I was at that time. I took an enormous leap of faith when I quit my job three years ago without a permanent "career" position lined up, and I was rewarded with a wonderful job that taught me a great deal about social work and community. My time as a manager provided me with a great deal of rewarding experiences, and it also taught me that life is too short to waste precious time on things and people that make you unhappy. While the girl on the left is much thinner, her life was much less fulfilling.
The photo on the left is one taken three years ago today at a work meeting while the one on the right was taken just a few days ago. I wanted to share the obvious, and not so obvious, changes that have occurred within the last three years, which have greatly impacted the way I see the woman on the left and the right.
The girl on the left:
She is 27-years-old. She works as an assistant manager at a restaurant anywhere between 55-65 hours per week. She works an opposing schedule of her husband and barely sees her kiddo. She sneaks cigarettes out by the dumpster hoping that no one sees her. She comes to work tired and leaves exhausted. She recently began taking a statistics class at the community college in preparation for applying to grad school. Her boss does not support this decision as it impacts her availability to work. She cries in the office when no one is around. She sometimes hides from her child when she is at home because her anxiety is so high. She is miserable.
The woman on the right:
She is 30-years-old. She has been married for 7 years and enjoys her 8-year-old daughter. She works at a job that combines her passion for helping others, traveling, and changing the dialogue about mental health on a normal work schedule. She spends her free time with her family, and she volunteers with several local organizations. She recently graduated from graduate school with a GPA of 3.9. She is happy.
I catch myself on occasion feeling downtrodden because of my current weight and feeling wistful for a smaller waist, but I force myself to remember how anxious, depressed, and uncertain I was at that time. I took an enormous leap of faith when I quit my job three years ago without a permanent "career" position lined up, and I was rewarded with a wonderful job that taught me a great deal about social work and community. My time as a manager provided me with a great deal of rewarding experiences, and it also taught me that life is too short to waste precious time on things and people that make you unhappy. While the girl on the left is much thinner, her life was much less fulfilling.
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