Indeed, I’m finished. I realize that it has been quite a few days since my last post but I assure you, they have been very busy and necessitated me being away from most social networking. That of course included my blog. I missed you. I assume that you all missed me too. So, what was I up to? Well, let’s just say, as my BFF put it, today is literally the first day of the rest of my life.

My last day with the Twin Lakes Library System was only a few moments ago but now, in the virgin moments of February 9, 2014 I am a librarian without a library. I honestly feel that I’m finished with that part of my life. Sure I earned an MLIS and worked in libraries for over 12 years, but today, today is the first day that I put that life completely behind me. I’m excited, nervous, worried, exhausted, relieved. Words really can’t describe it. Over the past few days I have buckled down in providing the Twin Lakes with as much information that I could. I worked on a private WP blog and allowed the information to flow. I assure you that if I was a different person I would not have been so “LaToya” about it. But true to my nature, once I started, I was on a roll. But now it’s finished. All of it. There are some things that I need to do on Monday but that would take all of 3 minutes on the computer. Outside of that I say goodbye to the job and career I had throughout my 20s. I plan on maintaining my librarian certification even though I have no real plans on returning to the world of public libraries. I’ve had my fill and I’m just excited to move on. There are so many things that interest me and I’m anxious to start something new.

I’m blessed. Practically the day I decided to resign I was already thinking ahead. Within days of that I had listed and accepted an offer on our house, I’ve been on two interviews, sent out over 100 applications (yeh, I know, that’s crazy) and will be having an interview on Thursday with a company that I would honestly love to work for. I don’t want to jinx it so I won’t say much more about that. Within a month to the day of my resignation we had fully moved out of our house in Eatonton and returned to the stomping ground of my youth. I’m happy to be with family. Sure, living with your sibling may not be cool to some but I happen to love my brother. We’re a tight-knit group and so it’s been pretty nice. It also helps that his house is practically twice the size mine was. This has allowed for a fairly easy move and transition. My mother has been really great as well. With her two kids now only five minutes away, she spoils us with daily home cooked meals. My hubby still isn’t fully settled. I can understand that though. He admitted to me that he felt bad that he’s not being the provider he wants to be. Touching. I told him that we’re in this together and despite us now both being unemployed. Wow, really, today marks the first day of that too!

I’m looking forward to fully unpacking, to reading more, to balancing my checkbook and paying bills. There’s so much that I put on hold the past week or so as I trudged through what I felt I should do for TLLS. And now, moments after sending my final email with the signature line showing my Assistant Director title, I’m here happily blogging. A little tired, yes, but happy. True to form my hubby asked, when I announced that I was done, if I was going to blog about it. I had planned to wait to be honest. I am tired after all. However, the words now come more freely and the desire more pure.

So, my plans for the next few days include those listed above. I am also still writing for the Milledgeville paper and so I’ll likely write about this experience for this week’s paper. Sure I don’t have a job or any income coming in but I have already finished my taxes and they have already been accepted. Plus I have also already paid the state and received my federal refund. So yes, I’m on the ball. This is such a strange feeling. I honestly felt as I wound down that the last of the stressful shackles were falling off me. It truly was an honor and a privilege to have worked for the Twin Lakes Library System but I am so very happy and of-and-on optimistic that something better is just around the corner. There has already been so many wonderful things and even though I’m sure to have my moments of sadness and despair, I’m in a far better place physically and mentally to deal with it.

Wow, this is a long post. So, today’s poem…I just looked to see what it is. Matt. That kinda took the wind out of me. He’s a person who was once in my life that I still think about quite a bit. He meant a great deal to me. He was sometimes an ideal. He was often a reminder of how stupid I could be and how painful life could be. However, I will always love him. At least, I will always love the memory of him that I have preserved in my mind. We are no longer in each others lives and never will be again but he will forever remain someone of great significance to me. Don’t worry, there is no longing to be with him or anything like that. I’m just feeling a little nostalgic and am honestly thinking only of the good while being ignorant of the bad in this moment. You know what they say about how some people are not meant to remain in your life, they’re just a part of the journey. He was a big part of my journey.