Today it caught up with me and after filing stories for deadline I curled up on the sofa with a blanket and watched the snow fall until I went to sleep.
It was wonderful!
There I was, dozing away having the most remarkable dream about taking a bath in a spectacular room overlooking the ocean. It was so lovely I asked for my camera and started taking photos. But when I looked in the viewfinder to see the photos they were all shots of a cold snowy landscape.The dream pretty much sums up my life right now. I have visions of beauty, warmth, wealth and comfort. But the reality is a little more wet, white and cold.
Through all this craziness I’ve been really thinking about my job. As in ~ "is it worth it?"
It takes up huge chunks of my time without paying me huge chunks of money. The basic issue is the “work from home” clause.
He is a typical schedule.
I call someone and get an interview (if I’m lucky)
I do the interview and write the story.
I file the story.
Then things get dicey.
Usually within 15 minutes to 15 hours after the story is filed, I get a call back from an editor asking a question, wanting me to make some more phone calls, etc.
If I can answer the question from my notes, all is good.
But, if they come up with a new direction for the story I call back the source, leave a message, wait for the source to return my call and wait, and wait, and wait.
I plan my life around the writing and filing, not the waiting and waiting.
Since I am usually on deadline, I don’t dare take a shower, go grocery shopping, etc. because I’m waiting for the phone call, which, more often than not does not come.
Can I charge the company for these waiting hours?
Probably not.
But I’m tied to the phone, which limits my life rather sharply.
Tuesday I snuck away from the house / phone to go grocery shopping and stopped by my local scrapbook store. The owner is unexpectedly expecting a child. She has problems with pregnancies, as in she has a tendency to premature delivery. I was asking her what she planned to do about the pregnancy and the store and she said she was going to hire more help.
Then I told her my job situation and asked if she would be interested in taking me on as an employee. She said “absolutely.”
No terms of payment, hours, etc were discussed. But now I have options.Which leaves me on the horns of a dilemma; should I stick it out with my newspaper job, which (in theory) does give me a measure of independence and allows me to be home with my children. (Not to mention the free camera, this is no small consideration in my world) Or, should I jump ship and work for the scrapbook store.
Or, third option, get really creative with my finances. Like the Coupon Cuties I interviewed yesterday, save $500 a month in groceries and stop working all together. //http://www.tooeletranscript.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=18874&Itemid==
I don’t have any answers. But I sure as heck have a lot of questions to consider.
4 comments:
Alleen -
You are SageHen, you have the answer inside you!
You obviously have the interest in the LSS job, drop back in there, or call her to set up an appointment, and get some details, That'll help with your decision. And, get a cell phone that will allow you to call forward. It is possible to answer the phone in the shower, if you're really careful! (LOL, ok, so that is NOT a recommendation). Then you can keep the best of the newspaper job, but perhaps you can limit your number of articles...must keep the free camera.
Someone posted on peas about what is important is most important - being able to be a Mom. A Mom who is happy and present. I know you'll work this out!
Ande
As Steven Covey says in his book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" begin with the end in mind. In other words, what is your ultimate goal? You did mention you wanted to sell your scrapbook ideas. Well, will the scrapbook store or the newspaper help you ultimately achieve your desire? Help this advice helps. You have such wonderful ideas, go for it!
Forget couponing. that sounds too complicated and time consuming. I would stay home if I had the choice, then on days like this (Snowy, cold and gloomy and dangerous to drive in) I could stay home safe warm and cozy. Why give up a free camera especially when you have such a knack for telling a story with a picture. The cell phone idea is a really good one.
I have no advice, but I do understand your dilemma. I hope you work out a solution that makes the most people happy, remember you cast the deciding vote. In other words if momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy.
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