Winter Solstice

So today marks the advent of a couple things. First and foremost, today is the first official day of winter, the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. The season has finally arrived, despite the fact we've been experiencing winter-like temperatures for some time now (interspersed with the spring-like temperatures of course!) At any rate, winter is upon us, and it looks to be a pretty intense one this year, with the weather patterns we've been experiencing very similar to the ones that preceded the "blizzard" of 1993. So stock up on firewood, make sure you have plenty of canned foods to eat, and candles to burn, and set aside a stash of good books to read, because if the rumors and portents are true, this is going to be a winter to be reckoned with.

Today also marked the official 3 year anniversary of my employment with OfficeMax. Now I have mixed emotions about this fact. To be sure, I'm extremely glad to have a steady job in this time of economic uncertainty, but I can't help but wonder if this is as good as it's going to get. I'm currently working for a salary that's less than what I started at 3 years ago, when I knew little about the position, and was completely inexperienced with running a commercial print center. Since then I have run the print centers in 2 different stores, but with my transfer to Athens, budget cuts within the company (i.e. - no raises this year), and my temporary step down from Supervisor to Associate while Stacey was still running the place, I took a salary hit that I still haven't recovered from, and it doesn't look like things will get much better in the new year.

So, do I stay with my present employer, and try to "convince" HR to pay me, if not what I'm worth, at least what I was earning before I transferred (and preferably a bit more, if we actually get raises in the coming year), or do I set out once again in search of a new career and a better lifestyle? Three years is the longest I've ever worked for a single company, and it's been nice to have an employer that seems to care about its employees at least somewhat, but I've got to be moving on if I've hit a fiscal glass ceiling.

I would like to go back to working from home, doing things that I enjoy and working on my own terms. I want to pursue photography as a serious hobby, and possibly a career. I think I could be good at it once I received the proper training, and gained the knowledge to move on from taking "snapshots", to shooting "portraits" (in the overall professional sense, not just shooting portraits of people.) Years ago, my mother gave me a book entitled Do What You Love, And The Money Will Follow, and that's just what I want to do. I love photography, and I want to strive to be better at it. Monica also shares a love for photography, and I think it's something that we could be good at together, and possibly turn into a money making venture.

So as this year comes to a close, it's time to reevaluate my situation, and decide where I want my life to go from here. I'm not getting any younger, and it's time I took back control of my life, and started walking a new path towards a brighter and more enjoyable future. I know I'm destined for more than this. I just need to find the key that unlocks the door...