#workingworld

This post is written already, so I guess what I’m writing now is a foreword. I just came up with a title because Tumblr wanted a title, so here it is:

                            -THE SERIES OF LIFE UPDATES-

I’ll be writing life updates each month and potentially a few extra posts in between. That’s all the explaining it needs really—foreword over. Oh, of course, one last thing: I’ll have pictures in future posts. Those are cool.

I started my first post-college job on August 25th. I can officially say that I’m an accountant, which still feels weird to say. My official title is Staff Accountant and I work at Brunner, Blackstone & Associates, PC in Cranberry Twp., PA.

Life has gotten much busier than I thought it would once I started working. My mind has been a store house for all of my thoughts, ideas, plans, stresses, reliefs, and desires ever since I started. That doesn’t sound so bad; it’s normal for me, but it’s different this time. It’s rather hard to explain too, especially to readers, although I’m writing this primarily for my own benefit. I suppose this would be a good foundation: the transition from college life to work lifedemands

                     -A COMPLETE CHANGE IN LIFESTYLE-

Ever make fun of someone for going to bed early, your parents maybe? Well that’s just how it goes. I have to get up early every day for work. I can’t stay up until 2:30 am anymore—or midnight—or 11:34 for Jimmy Fallon’s monologue. That’s one example. What else? Eating habits. I have to eat and I have to provide my own food. There’s no more buffet-style that only costs a swipe. I have to plan my meals. I have to buy and make myself  breakfast, lunch, and usually dinner. I have to budget. This is fun for me-but it still requires a lot of thought and due diligence. Money doesn’t grow on trees, but if it did, my boss owns the trees and he gives me a piece of fruit on the 15th and 31st of each month. And first the government takes a bite of my fruit, then my phone, then car insurance, etc. I always told God that if he gives me money, I’d give it away—so I cut up some of my fruit and use it to feed others. Whatever is left is split up between gas, groceries, restaurants, entertainment, loans to family (I can count on it), student loans (starting next month), and saving up for CPA study materials, which will cost $3,500.

Have you ever heard about the challenge to make friends after college or see an article from Relevant Magazine make its way around facebook on the subject? Well, it’s all true. I can confirm with friends I have graduated with a few months ago and from friends who graduated years ago. Where do you even meet new people? You don’t exactly have a bunch of free time to hang out in highly populated areas handing out friendship applications to anyone passing by. I rely on my cousins, which has been true even back to my high school years. I don’t have college friends nearby, although Geneva is only an hour away and it’s not too difficult to visit, but that’s not exactly consistent. And everyone I know there will be graduated and dispersed within 2 years anyways. I have made a couple trips to Lancaster to see Travis and Hannah, but those were for specific pre-planned events, so it won’t be nearly as consistent. (The cost to travel 4 hours away doesn’t help either). So friendships have to be extremely intentional. I have to plan a week or more in advance to keep up with friends. It’s not like college where you are surrounded by 1,000 people 24/7 and see everyone every day. I keep a list of names of people who I want to catch up with and try to talk to someone on that list once per week. (I could hit them all up in one day with the same intro text, but I want it to be genuine and intentional.) A huge positive to this problem is that I have made the time I get around friends

                          -MORE INTENTIONAL AND DEVOTED-

Along that same line of thought, I still get asked about my relationship status frequently, if not more frequently than when I was in college. Just like you don’t make a bunch of new friends or meet new people, you don’t meet a bunch of new girls. Cue the “where are you supposed to find someone” questions. (Fun fact: the number one response I’ve heard over the past month: bars. Err, no thanks. [Nothing wrong with people who go to bars regularly, but I don’t want to be a regular bar attendee, so I would never consider a girl who wants that lifestyle.]) So, yes, I think about this kind of thing quite a bit—it’s only natural—but, no, I’m not going to disclose anything online because there are real people involved and the internet is no place for dropping names—especially if they don’t even know they are being talked about. I’d be happy to vent this stuff out in person though, that’s cool.

Side note: Now that wedding season is over, my official tally from #SummerWeddingSeason : In 2 wedding parties, attended 3, missed 1 because there were 2 that day, attended 1 wedding reception (they had a private beach wedding). And a good high school friend had a baby and my closest cousin is having a baby in December. I’m getting behind the times, sheesh. I’m not complaing because it’s

                       -ALL BY GOD’S GRACE AND TIMING-

This is now the 3rd time I have opened this up to continue writing. This is probably a good thing because it kills my train of thought and I have to start over with what I think is relevant. I think I covered a lot of the basics about what it’s like to graduate and start a full-time job (was that I what I was talking about before?). I went to Geneva’s Homecoming two days ago and I got asked so many times how I was doing, what I was doing, how work was going, etc.—answering those questions without using a copy and paste answer and adapting them to who I was talking to (because some people were being polite, some curious, some caring) really helped me figure the answers to those questions. I think the best way for me to summarize it all in one sentence hit me last week when I got a text from a friend from high school and college who wanted to catch up. This was the thought that came to my mind:

                                -I’M LIVING IN THE TENSION-