Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Life is an 8 a.m. class

8 Comments

Many years ago, like many college kids,  I tried to avoid scheduling any classes at 8 in the morning.  Because it was just too hard to drag myself out of bed that early.  But when I graduated and went to work I found out that Life IS AN EIGHT O’CLOCK CLASS!  Rather than maybe having an early class a couple days a week, work meant an early start  EVERY SINGLE DAY!  That was a shock.

Over the years I got used to the early day of work, day in, day out, year in, year out.  Then I did the unimaginable and quit.  Really.  Just quit.  I went back to school where sometimes I had an early morning, sometimes a late night, but never consistency.  And I liked the variation in my days.  After graduation I found part-time work in a library and had some early days, some late nights and again I enjoyed the variation.

But the world changed when our economy went haywire  and library jobs were impossible to find.  So I’m back at the bank and getting used to waking up in the dark and driving through rush hour traffic to sit in a cubicle for the entire day.  Then it’s rush hour traffic home.  Life is once again an 8 a.m. class.

It’s exhausting and sometimes overwhelming.  But I’m working on getting settled in the groove.  The last four years have been, in effect, a very long, very wonderful vacation.  Which is more than most people get.

So I’m appreciative; even as I yawn while driving toward the rising sun each morning.

Author: dawnkinster

I'm a long time banker having worked in banks since the age of 17. I took a break when I turned 50 and went back to school. I graduated right when the economy took a turn for the worst and after a year of library work found myself unemployed. I was lucky that my previous bank employer wanted me back. So here I am again, a long time banker. Change is hard.

8 thoughts on “Life is an 8 a.m. class

  1. I hope your body adjusts to your new routine quickly….otherwise Thursday & Friday, that snooze buttons is going to be getting a workout 🙂

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  2. It’s going to be a tough and major adjustment to say the least. But I think you will adjust and maybe start to enjoy having a routine? I feel very fortunate to have worked musicians’ hours all of my life. That part is really nice but never having any sense of financial security is not. Guess everything is a trade-off. Good luck with your new job!

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  3. Hope the adjustment goes quickly and is not too hard ;-). Hope you are just taking it one day at a time….it has to be a huge adjustment and hope you remind yourself you are a hero for being able to change your course and just make the most of your life, what ever it throws you!

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  4. Funny – when I had to be up early for work, it was such a struggle. In those days, I was more a night person. Now that I’ve reached maturity and no longer have to be up early for work, I’m ready for hitting the bed at 9:00, then reading until 9:30 or 10:00. And the girls say it’s time to get up between 6 and 6:30. And that’s okay, except I’d prefer it be light out before I’m awake. Think about it this way: that retirement age will get here (actually probably a lot sooner than you’d like) and you can again have variation in your days. In the meantime, it’s a job, it’s yours, and the economy will get better sooner or later; when it does, perhaps a library job will jump into your lap.

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  5. I had 8am classes all through college. Then being a nurse , most shifts start at 7am. Now I guess Im just use to getting up early. Not that I like it but my body just wont let me sleep in anymore. Yuk! I hope work is going ok. Diana

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  6. In high school, I always had an early class (before the regular school day started at 8) and I missed it way too often, too hard to wake up. And it was a class I wanted and signed up for specially, too. So in college I signed up once for a 7:30 class and then never again. My first job required newbies to work the 7:30 shift, and I dragged myself in and yawned all day. When an opening appeared in swing shift (starting at 4 p.m. i think), I jumped on it and was very happy for as long as that lasted. Then I went into high tech in silicon valley with “flex hours” and mostly I didn’t have to get up again, unless I was teaching classes or some other rarity. I don’t envy you your commute at all!

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  7. P.S. love that flower slice in your header!

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  8. Ellen – me either (re the commute) and me too (re the flower in header)

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