New Beginnings: Part II

Awww...new beginnings...again! That is the cool thing about starting over...tomorrow can always be a new beginning. So...as I said in my previous post, May 1st was to mark some things I need to start working on and/or changing in my life. The only I thing I really got started on May 1st was the new haircut to kick-start the kick-off of the new beginnings. 

There are two main things that I have promised myself that I would start working on come May 1st:

(1) START LOOKING FOR A NEW J-O-B!

Yes, it is time for me to start looking for another job. I am looking for work in the social work field. I am currently employed in the social work field, but it is by no means my dream job or something I can see myself doing long term. You see, I am an investigator/assessor with Child Protective Services in a local NC county. That means when  reports of abuse, neglect, or dependency are called into the DSS agency, I am the one who gets to meet with the family regarding the allegations. This job has its merits. First and foremost, I am happy to be employed. This job is my first job post-MSW. They gave me a chance to show off my social work skills. Secondly, I have gotten a buttload of experience doing this work. As one of my co-workers put it (who has been there about the same amount of time as me), "We've got 'street cred' now."I've been hitting the mean screets of the Bull City to make sure that children are safe and happy and parents are doing what they need to be doing to care for their children. The down side to this job is that it is a drag. No one...and I mean no one...wants to see the CPS social worker coming to his/her door alleging abuse or neglect of the children in the home. Every day is struggle or a fight in some sort of way. I am a happy go-lucky person most of the time, and this type of work can bring down a happy person in a skinny minute. There are other reasons why I want to start looking elsewhere, but the main reason is job satisifaction and fit. Soooo...long story short...it's is time to start hitting the websites, papers, and peeps to look for job leads. And if you know of any promising social work jobs in the Triangle area, please feel free to forward the information to me...I ain't too proud to beg. 

(2) START EXERCISING

I have to...and I mean have to...start getting active again. When I started my job with CPS, I quit exercising. So I pretty much have been inactive for the past year. I had gotten pretty good a running and was racking up some mileage. I have a friend, Fave (whose blog is on Big Stink's Top Links) who is an avid triathalon-er. She has stuck with it for quite some time, and she is an inspiration to me. I am getting a little side-tracked here. But it was so easy for me to quit. I don't know how she does it. The good news is that I am not ashamed to start again from scratch. I have another friend, Natty B, who had a baby about 10 1/2 months ago. She mentioned that she wanted to start exercising and training for a 5k. So, I couldn't say no...I need this...for myself. So we have gotten information about how to train for a 5k as a beginner, and we shall start this week. We actually spoke today, and we thought to ease ourselves into getting active again that we would walk a certain number of days this week, and then jump into the 5k training next week. Wish me luck...I need it for sure!!!