My twenty-something crisis - Part I

There is not a single cloud in the sky. None. Zero. It is now my second week of unemployment and I am sitting at the beach "thinking". "Processing". Trying to make sense of this thing I've done. This thing that makes some green with envy and makes other shake their head. You see this thing I've done is quit my job primarily because I didn't love it. Don't misunderstand me. I didn't hate my job. That would be a perfectly good reason to up and quit. No, it's just that I don't LOVE it. Okay, so on thinking about it further there were a few other reasons for making the decision I did some 5 weeks ago:

1) Have been living apart from husband for some 2 1/2 years now with him flying away for work each Monday and home on Friday. I'm not sure if I subscribe to the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" or "out of sight out of mind" school of thought, but I do know that living apart from your spouse for a lengthy period of time changes the shape of your relationship. Not necessarily good or bad, just change.
2) Am turning 30 in 2 days. Well this birthday is perhaps not a big deal for many people, it is for me. I feel as though I am approaching a measuring stick of life and will not measure up. I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up. I haven't traveled to Europe!
3) And then there's the babies. I've always felt I wanted children, but once your 30, you need to be more decisive than that. Yet, I have no burning desire to procreate. I don't cry with longing when I see babies in the grocery store. What's wrong with me? Surely I'm not meant to be one of these career minded women too in love with their desks and morning lattes to desire children. Surely this is not me.

In deciding what new career path to embark on, I think I must pay attention to several things. First, things I enjoy doing and second, things I am good at doing. Okay, so at least we have a place to start. There are now lists to be made! I do enjoy making lists. Especially if they involve subheadings, and multicolored pens and highlighters! So, here we go:

Things I enjoy (title in blue ink with yellow highlighter):
1) Reading (especially fiction)
2) Having an office, or at least a desk, where I can bring and set up all of my personal office/desk decorations
3) Meeting and learning about new people
4) Office supplies (especially pens & multi-colored post-its)
5) Typing (am also very talented at this particular task)
6) Making people laugh
7) Seeing new places
8) Writing
9) Drinking wine. Not sure if this item belongs on the list or not, but I was running out of items that I enjoy so thought "what the heck".

So, until I can come up with more activities that I enjoy, I guess I'll move on to things I'm good at:

1) Interacting with people (in person, via email, facebook, or on the phone)
2) Making lists
3) Recalling random bits of family history
4) Laundry (specifically towels and; sheets - I adore a well stocked linen closet)
5) Finding funny birthday cards
6) Socializing
7) Remembering lyrics to songs (including most of "Baby Got Back")
8) Making popcorn
9) Reading (I'm quite quick)
10) Typing

Alright then. Quick review of my talents and interests does not reveal an obvious career choice that I have somehow overlooked these past 10 years. I find this both a relief and depressing. A relief because thank goodness I haven't been wasting my time working as a paralegal when there were other more obvious choices out there. And depressing because I had hoped my lists would reveal an obvious solution to my career/life crisis. I suppose this may take a little more time than I had thought.