Hello, everyone. It’s been a while.
It is finally time for me to share what I’ve been up to.
After Katie moved out I accepted a factory job at a place whose products reminded me of my grandfather. It was a dirty, challenging job; the first month I was there not a day went by without someone telling me that I was too small and weak to cut it. I was warned that I would get injured if I remained and encouraged to quit.
Three years later and this “Monster of Corner Line” held the standing record for most molds poured in a day. I was the de-facto lead in another department but was pulled to Corner Line on a regular basis due to my speed and skill.
I was comfortable there. Too comfortable apparently, because the Universe decided that it was time to close the plant.
I doubt I would have left that place otherwise.
I took a half year off to grieve. I’d loved that job. It had been a challenge that I had overcome, a challenge that everyone around me was certain I would fail but I hadn’t failed; I had thrived.
One day I spotted an ad in the local paper advertising a job that I’d desired since I was a child: an office job. In this area, office jobs are only posted in the paper to cover the fact that they already have someone for the position; it covers them from accusations of favoritism and discrimination.
I applied just for laughs. I knew I would get round-filed but I didn’t care.
Imagine my surprise when I landed the job!
I work for a woman who is living the life I imagined living back in the day. She owns a nationwide corporation. Her hobbies are tinkering on her farm, traveling to exotic locales, and babysitting her grandkids. She’s an amazing woman. She even invests in real estate that she rents out to others.
I am so thankful that I met her. She has shown me the reason why I never got around to making the leap into real estate. It’s nothing specific, but I suspect that if she ever truly took a day off from working, things would go south.
Perhaps I sensed that, sensed that down that path lay a life where I would never have a chance to stop and think or just exist. I lack the words for what I feel aside from gratitude.
She is an amazing woman. I like her a lot. She has shown me through example a life I have no desire to lead.
So what’s next?
I have no idea. I do know this; a friend of mine announced that this current economy has her struggling to the point where she is on the verge of homelessness. My coworkers are working second jobs.
I was made for times like these. It never fails; when those around me are screaming about their finances, I tend to thrive in my own weird way.
So maybe it’s time I started writing again.
23 responses to “Update”
Yes, please write again if you find the time! I miss it.
Aww, thank you! That means a lot to me.
To be honest, I figured everyone had forgotten about this site 🤣
Hi Annie,
It’s so nice to hear from you. You crossed my mind just a few days ago.
I haven’t read your blog in awhile because I had been missing your updates, but today I saw the update in my email.
Adrianne
Hi Adrianne!
Wow, it’s been a while! I haven’t had much to say and didn’t want to bug people. Plus I had to work some things out in my head, if that makes sense. I think it’s time for me to begin writing again now. I’m feeling the itch 🤣
Yes, Annie, your big Canadian fan….I really miss your writing. I am sure you have found my comments over the years strewn across the net, hoping one of them falls into your lap and makes you think once again, that your fans are real actual people who really appreciated your musings.
Thanks for the update. Keep us in the loop so we will know where best to read your creations.
Peace and respect from up here.
Eh Canada.
Carla
Hi Carla!
I’ve missed you! Sometimes you have to lose yourself in order to find yourself. For a while, I didn’t have anything to contribute of value (I felt). But with the world changing….
So thrilled to have you back!
Thank you so much, Erin!
So glad to hear from you, Annie! Yes, you were definitely ‘made for times like these’. I would love to see you writing again, helping to help others through the economic sh** show that is beginning. You speak the language, live the life, and have so much first-hand experience and knowledge of how to not only survive but thrive on so little.
What an awesome lesson you learned working for a woman you thought you wanted to be living the life you thought you wanted to have. Yes, what is the reward in working non-stop? It certainly isn’t freedom, though this country would have you believe that the only freedom is economic freedom. Really, economic freedom can mean two different things. One is making and stockpiling enough money that you never have to worry about personal, state or federal economic downturns. The other is living life on the fringes, choosing to have just enough to meet your basic needs. Like you, I prefer to live on as little as possible to have the freedom of time that I can call my own.
Oh, Essie I have MISSED you!
Welcome back. I look forward to your new messages.
Hi Linda! How have you been?
Linda, I think your name has been associated with Annie´s writing just about as long as Annie has been publishing! Hope you are well 🙂 hi from up here in Canada
I ve really enjoyed your unique voice, so please do say more.
Deb from NZ
Aww, thank you Deb! That means a lot to me!
Sounds like a good idea, particularly if you still have the day job for now.
Thanks, Drake!
Congratulations on the new job 🙂
Thanks Josh!
I have .missed your writing… So glad you are okay. Thanks for coming back to writing.
Hi Karen!
I had to wait until I got my head straight and had something meaningful to say.
Thank you so much for your support. I appreciate you!
Annie!!! I am so glad to find that you have returned to writing. Even if it did not last long term it sounds like your time working in the factory was a wonderful experience and a time of personal growth for you.
Hey John!
I thought you may have forgotten about me. My time in that factory was exhausting but it changed me. Whether the change is positive or not remains to be seen 🤣
Thank you for remembering me.