I’m horrified to discover it’s been 4 years since I’ve posted anything to this blog! A lot has happened in that time period. My husband left his job and eventually went on disability and retired. (Thank goodness for the VA.) I abruptly quit a miserable job I’d had for almost a decade in October 2019, for mental health reasons, opened my first vintage resale booth, ramped up my Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageVelmaFinds?ref=seller-platform-mcnav) and got a job at a mental health services practice (ironic, no?) in November 2019 which I loved but paid barely more than fast food wages. After a long stretch of working from home (COVID, duh) I came back into the office for 4 days a week and was “generously” offered a 50¢/hour raise. Whee. And then a part-timer who was 36 years younger than I am and had limited office skills became full-time and was getting paid 26% more than me because she was someone’s pet project. Ouch. Needless to say, most of my time thereafter at this job was spent looking for another job. Oh yeah, and we got a puppy.
In January 2022, I started my first non-profit job as a social service organization’s Finance Manager, for 40% more than I was making at the doctor’s office. This job was fun but challenging. As the money person, I was able to get their PPP loan 100% forgiven, which was very satisfying, and move their payroll system to another program that integrated more fully with the HR program we used. However, I could also see that this organization didn’t have the funds to be sustainable for very long unless a major grant was awarded. Worrying about our funding was always in the back of my mind.
In June 2022, I (and other assistant youth soccer registrars, a job I’ve been doing part-time for over a dozen years) got a random email asking if we knew of anyone who would like to replace one of the State Registrars at the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association. There are only two people working in this position, and the job rarely comes open. So I took a small pay cut (which is still more than I was making at the mental health office) and jumped in. And here I am today. I get to work from home two days a week, and for the first time in practically my whole adult working life, I am not dealing with day-to-day bookkeeping or any other financial duties. It feels good. Maybe I’ll retire there. The second assistant director of registration (my official title) is retiring next July (she already works full time from home–at the beach!!), and I’m trying to figure out a way to absorb her job into mine (technology has made this feasible) and also get the Board to pay me more for doing that. It’s a win-win for everyone involved, but sometimes dealing with the Board and the ED here feels like going to Jurrasic Park.
With that said, here are some pics of my dinosaur hanger named Trixie and some of my recent office outfits. Hope to be posting again soon!
A Writer's Metamorphosis 