Another New Normal

Well hi there, lovely readers!

It's always so daunting to write a new blog post after taking so much time off. Where do I start? How do I jump back in? It's like a conversation with a friend you haven't talked to in a while. It may take a few minutes (or in the case of my wonderful friends, a few seconds) to warm up- but after that, it's like no time has passed.

So hopefully that paragraph counted as the warm-up! Let's jump right in. Life has certainly thrown me a few curve balls in the past few weeks.

At the end of April, I was laid off from my job. Have any of you ever gone through that? To be perfectly honest, it was absolutely heart-breaking. Losing a job, feeling that terrible sense of insecurity is so hard. I left my car parked in the garage for two straight days, not wanting to use a single ounce of gas. And when I finally started driving again, I would pull into my garage and start crying, looking at my precious house and wondering, what am I doing to do?

And that was just the first weekend!

Aside from the feeling of insecurity, I was also heart-broken. It was like being dumped. You feel such a sense of loss, an era ending. Wondering what did I do wrong, what could I have done better?

The truth of the matter is this: my former company has been- and continues- to struggle. And I say that in the kindest way possible. I learned so much there, made some of the best friends of my life there. I truly became a real adult during my time there- and a real producer, too.

Coming to that realization took me a few days. I found a spot across the river that I would run to every day last week- then sit and just spend some quiet time in prayer, often in tears. But as the days wore on, I felt stronger and more certain that this was all part of a bigger plan. I found my confidence again, my sense of pride. Nothing- and no one- has the power to strip you of those things.

Last week, I interviewed for, was offered and accepted a job with Fox News as the 9pm producer. It's still such a wild thing, how quickly life changed on me- and I feel SO blessed to have this opportunity! Back in TV- can't believe it! But I'm thrilled. So happy, so thankful. I started yesterday. My "unemployment" lasted four days; I know not everyone can say that.

Being an adult isn't easy. My 20's have been so wonderful- I've fallen in love, pursued my career, bought a car, bought a house. My 20's have also been a decade of serious change and growth; I've had my heart broken, lost a pet, lost a job.

No, being an adult isn't easy. And despite the endless support from friends and family- no person can come in and "rescue" you. Success is relative, but hard work, loyalty, and finding joy from a deeper source are invaluable discoveries I've making over the course of this decade.

God is opening my heart right now in so many ways- to change, to forgiveness, to new chapters, new beginnings and another "new normal."

It's a wild ride- but I wouldn't have it any other way.