"Mike! Where've You Been??"

I feel like I have been on hiatus from reading and writing for weeks now.  My presence of social media has even waned so far that I’ve had a friend on twitter reach out via DM to make sure I was okay.  The truth is, I have been on hiatus.  There has been a lot of things going on in my personal life and I’m finding it extremely difficult to focus on writing.  Therefore, I decided it best to set my creative endeavors aside for a month or so till things level out.  I know I’m not the only would-be author out there who has had to take a break for real world priorities—but knowing that hasn’t exactly made this any easier. 

Warning:  **This next paragraph is going to sound like a long-winded rant**

So, what’s been going on?  You mean besides having to take care of my dad’s farm while he was hospitalized with Covid, (Thank God he’s home now and doing fine) and my wife’s grandparents who have unfortunately reached a point in their lives where they need extra care and can no longer take care of themselves?  Well, just before Thanksgiving, I made the decision to close my construction company that I’ve owned and operated over the past fifteen years.  I’ve done very well with my business, but I believe the past two years have convinced me that it’s time to do something different.  Afterall, though I’ve only owned my own business for the past fifteen years, I’ve been doing this work for twenty-two years.  I think in a lot of ways, I’m just burned out with it.  I’ve unfortunately caught a lot of flack from my regular customers, and suppliers about my decision.  My quitting, though I’ve not left anyone suddenly hanging, or any unfinished projects—it’s causing an awkward amount of disappointment.  I won’t lie, their words have been weighing on me and affecting my mood some days—I don’t like this feeling that I’m letting people down.  They of course don’t see the constant stress and frustrations that I deal with every day, not to mention the taxing effects that the manual labor has had on my body.  I’ve spoken with several close friends who all agree that I should try to ignore those hurtful words as those people aren’t looking out for my best interests, but their own.  There are other people out there who are willing and qualified to fill in for my absence, it’s just that none of these people want to be bothered with having to replace me.    

**End of Rant Paragraph**

Well, never mind all of that.  So, what am I going to be doing with myself?  Well, one of the tipping point reasons for my decision to close up shop was because I was offered a very nice salaried position with a safety training company that is literally two minutes down the road from my house!  The pay won’t be as lucrative as owning my own business was, but it will be more than enough for my family and I to get by on and put back some money as well.  Not to mention this new job is far less stressful.

I started my new job only three days ago.  So far, I love it, and I don’t see any reason why I won’t just retire from this position one day. (That is, unless I write a best seller that sells millions of copies!)  As I’m finding my new stride at my new job, so will I find my new time to read and write.  Stay tuned.  I’ve got more stories to fill your head with!

Thanks for reading!