Being a Grown Up

There are certain points in a person’s life when you realize you’re really a grown up. One of these is when you walk across a stage to get that all-important piece of paper. Another is when you hold your child for the first time. However, the most recent one I’ve experienced is maybe the most terrifying yet: the REALITY CHECK.

Let me back up first. This time a year ago, I had just moved to Italy, five months pregnant, and was planning the next year of my life. Everything went basically according to plan, except for one thing. In this year, I was to decide what I wanted to do with my life, and how to achieve that. As you know, if you’ve read my blog before, I’ve had a million ideas over the past year. My problem is not ideas; it’s how to fund these ideas. Which brings me to where I am now. The REALITY CHECK. What does this consist of, you ask? Well, it’s the simple realization that money does not, in fact, grow on trees, and that as valiant as my entrepreneurial efforts were, I’m going to have to suck it up and get a real job. Whew. It took me a year to get there. Finally, about five days ago, I realized this, and have since been frantically searching for full-time jobs.

I wanted to stay home with Ale, but the more I tossed ideas around, the more I realized it wasn’t going to happen. People do occasionally happen upon these jobs to do from home that pay well, but to be honest, most of them just offer supplemental income. Since over the next year and a half, Paolo will be staying in Europe finishing his degree, I need more than a supplemental income. That was the second part of my REALITY CHECK.

By now, I have gotten over the shock of my realization, and am fine with it. I am hoping to find a job in sales, as these are really the only jobs that are appealing to me. Sorry, but “Financial Analyst” or something like that isn’t my cup of tea. It’s actually Paolo’s cup of tea, so different strokes for different folks. I have applied for several jobs that really interest me, and hopefully one of these will work out, although the whole being abroad thing isn’t doing me any favors. I would ask that you please keep me in your thoughts and prayers during this time, as I’m majorly freaking out over the whole thing. I’m not sure why; it’s not like my family will throw us out on the street, I just really want to start adding money to the bank, not just subtracting.


By the way, we are all doing fine here. Ale is growing and changing so much; this tiny apartment can hardly contain him! We have a friend from Nice coming to visit this weekend, so that will be great!

Ciao for now,

Kathleen