So, What's Your Plan?

These days, I sure get asked the dreaded "what's your plan" question a lot. I'm not exactly sure how to answer that. I've kind of explored every option in the last year. I've sent out hundreds of resumes and networked with a zillion people. And here I am. Still sitting here. Still not working. And let me be the first to say that I'm really tired of looking for a job. It's exhausting. It's demanding. It's disappointing. It's just like a real job, only there's no paycheck for my efforts.

But there is no giving up, it's just not me. Plus, there are some pretty lofty goals on the board for 2011. And I keep thinking of a quote from my all-time favorite movie, The Silence of the Lambs: "All good things to those who wait." Granted, I shouldn't be taking life advice from Hannibal Lector, but it kind of fits, right?

Eventually, something will pan out; it just has to. In the meantime, it seems like I've encountered every flake in the business world and have endured disappointment after disappointment. Luckily, I see the big picture and I know that life is good and I'm very lucky.

While I'm waiting for something to pan out, I've been doing all sorts of things I couldn't do when I had a full-time job, like Christmas shopping in the middle of the day on a Tuesday and volunteering as a kindergarten room mom. It was kind of heartbreaking for me when one of the kindergarten boys said "What's your real job?" You're looking at it, kid! My new job is helping 5-year-olds tie their shoes and lifting the short kids (mine included) up to the monkey bars at recess.

Later this week, it will be the 1-year anniversary of the "phone call" and the day I first learned about India. I'm not sure how I'll celebrate on Thursday, but I can guarantee I won't be going to the Star of India for lunch. Funny how a lot of the people I know hate India a little bit more now than they did before the India Project. Case in point, my dad telling the Indian customer service rep to "put someone on the phone who speaks English!" My dad rocks. Or the Husband telling the credit card customer service rep to cancel his card. When the guy in India asked why, the Husband said "Because you're in freaking India." Love the Husband.

Also coming up in the near future is the expiration of my confidentiality agreement with Prison Media. I had to give them one year of silence. Come December 11, I'm officially free. Forever.

One more thing that will be easier this year: Finding the perfect turkey! I won't be digging through the bin of frozen turkeys, after work, with the rest of the working stiffs, searching for the elusive 16-pound turkey. No, I can go to the store on a weekday morning and casually select my bird. In fact, I think I'll do that tomorrow. Gobble, gobble!