a new day dawning

You never know where you’re going to hear something that really strikes you.  I surely wasn’t expecting the technician out on a maintenance call at my old job to say something that would stick with me.  We were in a room about the size of a closet, silent, as he was busy working on an ATM…..a pretty common, and expectedly awkward, setting in my day-to-day.

It was just a matter of time before he struck up the normal conversation:  How are you?  Busy today?  These things always act up….and so on.  Eventually we got to talking about other things we were working on, and I shared that I had recently enrolled in school to pursue a photography degree (it’s an generalized art degree, I’ll be real with ya, but I like to say photography degree  because, well, that’s what I want it to be….eventually!).

This seemed to catch his interest, and as he asked me about it, I started with my normal laundry lists of doubts.  I don’t know what will really come of this.  I’ve always really loved photography, but have been afraid to share my art.  What kind of job, really, am I going to get with this degree?  My family is going to think I’m crazy.  He got where I was coming from, but still pressed on, asking what I liked to shoot.  I told him mostly the beach — I love the beach — but also some more abstract things, abandoned buildings and places.

And then he said it.  “So, you’re going to change your vacation to your vocation!”  It’s a silly thing really, but I guess it was the first time that I thought that I might, just possibly, be able to do something for a living that I would consider a vacation.  After all, I had invested the last (at that time) eight years of my life in this banking career which I was beginning to realize wasn’t taking me anywhere, and more importantly, wasn’t making me happy.

So, here I am.  Not at that bank anymore, after over 10 years, entering in to my last semester to get my associates degree, and starting over.  This last year has been a struggle, to say the least, but I’m determined to make something better for myself.

I’m gonna have a vacation vocation.  Pack your bags, cause here we go.