Things in Never Say Never

Seems to be Dream About Ex-Boyfriends Week here on ARH. Night before last, it was Billy. Last night, it was Patrick. They have been those vivid dreams that hang around all day, haunting me with detail and emotion. For all that's going right, I am lonely and mostly alone in the world. It doesn't hurt exactly, but there's a certain kind of satisfaction and wholeness that is missing.

(And, no, it cannot be filled by Jesus.)

Yesterday was a banner day in the world of funemployment, which I guess needs a new name. Something like The Grand Adventure 2.0 or Life After the Gravy Train or the Post-DC World.

I did my 75-minute yoga class, and when I got home the workers were almost done installing my new kitchen countertops, which are just beautiful. Not much after that, I got an email from an editor at Cosmo.com whom I'd been corresponding with, and not only is she interested in a series that I pitched her, she gave me an assignment for something else. When I was a teenager, I used to lie on my bedroom floor and read Cosmo and dream about working there. Yes, I did. And I have no idea if teens and twentysomethings still devour that book the way that I did, but I am excited about having inroads there and really excited to see my first piece published on the site.

Then I had lunch with the COO of a company where I am going to be doing some consulting. It was a lovely time with shrimp salad and laughter, and she told me that I was not charging enough for my services. I've got a long history of undervaluing my work, so this was important to hear and will give me the confidence to charge more going forward. It gave me the confidence to charge a good rate for a proofreading project that I was asked to do a few hours later--easy work for decent money is going to be vital as I try to forge a new path for myself that might involve more challenging work for little money.

So that was yesterday. Today is today.