The Parable of the Girl Who Decided to Reclaim Her Life
This WillowTree statue is called "Happiness," with the caption "free to sing, laugh, dance . . . create!" It has always inspired me.
Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who loved to edit (much to the dismay of her middle-school and high-school peers who thought she used too much red pencil when peer editing their papers, thank you very much). When the girl went to college, she decided editing would be just the ticket for her (and she was right—she loves it). During a business class, she met the founding editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine. She knew immediately the company would be the perfect place for her and hoped to one day find a home there.
Shortly after graduating, she applied for a position at the magazine. Heavenly Father blessed her very much, and she was able to obtain the job. A year later, she was promoted, and she was very grateful. A little while later, she was promoted again and then again. The girl felt very blessed and humbled with each change. She’d dreamed of going to the moon, and she found she’d been able to travel through an entire galaxy—what an incredible ride.
Then one day the girl realized her world had changed a little. She’d always dreamed of being a girl with many adventures, one of which was working for the magazine. With each promotion, she viewed the change as a great step in her grand adventure and didn’t mind working more hours because she enjoyed her job. With her great love for the magazine, she soon developed a habit of working way too many overtime hours each week, and she didn’t have time for many other adventures anymore. The girl wanted adventures and wanted to keep in better touch with the people who mean so much to her, so she realized she needed a change—one where she could still fulfill her dream of working for the magazine but where she would also have time to pursue other dreams (and get a little more sleep at night).
She made the decision to apply for a new position where she would have more time to be with her family and friends, develop new talents, play in the sun, and explore the kingdom. At first she was worried people may think she made a bad decision in her career by stepping away from her current job, but she knew the change felt right, and so she decided not to worry anymore. To her delight, she received the job offer. She couldn’t wait to begin a new adventure and reclaim her grand adventure, and she smiled ever time she thought about the change and the new job.
Now her story begins again, once upon a time. . . .
***
It’s true: after 3.5 incredible years of working as the managing editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine, I’m making a change. It’s time to reclaim my life in full, and I’m excited for what’s coming. I’ll still be at CK (of course!), but starting tomorrow it’s time to go from M.E. (managing editor at the magazine) to me (plain and simple me who happens to have an extremely cool job of senior online editor for Creating Keepsakes). Wish me luck on my new adventure and the many more that are soon to come as a result. 