Why I quit my job and tarted stinkin'

Last week I quit my job. My job involved big-girl conversations and phrases like "circle back" and "per your request." My job was as gray as my cubicle and as interesting as a wet carrot. In fact, we researched wet carrots, along with rotten tomatoes and leathery potato soup that was left out too long. Trust me, working for the CDC only sounds glamorous and Salmonella is seriously yucky.

I had a string of bad days this summer and wanted to spend a day recharging and making myself happier...and I thought, "Ugh. Why would I do that? It will only take up one of my precious vacation days and I'll feel bad again when I get to work the next day.

Whoa. Smack me in the face that is depressing!!! It was one of those mental statements that even my inner-self barfed a little in disgust.

So I made a list of "Things That Make Me Happy"

1. Puppies

2. New clothes

3. Warm blankets

4. Pizza

5. Magazine arrival day

6. Reading before bed

7. Drawing penises in random places (car windows, notebooks, chalkboards, etc.)

8. Blogs

9. Margaritas

10. And, of course, beautiful surroundings

(Yes I know no. 7 makes me a psycho, but it's my own version of modern art I've decided to sprinkle on the world)

I took a long, hard look at the list and realized that I never even make time for ANY of these things. I am constantly running around to make other people happy, and rarely take time out for myself. Simple things that would inject a huge dose of lovely into my day...I never, well, did. And passions that I only discuss in "one day" terms. So I decided to make some changes...one at a time.

Step one: Touch a puppy every day.

Today I started my new job. New job involves puppy breath and stinky jeans. I started working at a doggie daycare, and day 1 was amazing. I held a French Bulldog named Millie in the huggy-position for a little too long and took a deep breath.

I. finally. did it.