Last Day of Freedom

Well, the freedom clock has finally run out. I've enjoyed every minute of it, but my 6 weeks of bumhood are coming to an end after this weekend. Time to....(drumroll, please)...go back to WORK!

It's a good thing, really, as paychecks tend to be a practical thing in life. But I am very good at being a bum, I found out. True, I get restless, and tend to climb the walls. And you know you're bored when the mail delivery is the excitement of your day. Aside from that, I did throw my heart into it. Sleep till noon? Easily! Wear my bathrobe till 6? Had it covered. I really wore my unemployment well.

And after such a whirlwind summer of getting married, going on a honeymoon, and briefly attempting to fit a new job in between (and failing, as I've mentioned before), I very badly needed the break and the sanity gathering. I officially changed my last name. I re-organized my files. I cleaned out closets, gave stuff away, and re-organized shelves. I scoured frightening corners of our apartment that hadn't seen a sponge in years. My brain decompressed and defragmented along with my hard drive(s).

But that all ends Monday as I start my new job with Brown Bag Naturals. It's a tiny start-up company that's already achieved some success without much trying, and we're all curious to see what happens with a smidge of effort. I'm hired to be their first sales rep, which is both exciting and a bit scary. However, they made a pretty good offer, both the owner and venture capitalist seem like great guys, and the whole concept really seems like a lot of fun. Their mission is to provide organic, preservative-free bag lunches for schools, offices, airlines, wherever, at $5 a lunch. Both guys have experience with successful start-ups (one helped start Burt's Bees), so knowing that they've done this before is reassuring and encouraging.

My favorite aspect is that they partner with several companies that just happen to keep me alive in terms of food: Stonyfield Farm, Annie's Homegrown, Amy's Kitchen, and Kashi. My daily diet basically consists of Stonyfield plain organic yogurt, Annie's pasta meal boxes, Amy's anything from soup to frozen dinners, and I live on Kashi TLC bars. Eating healthfully is a something I push on myself on a daily basis due to allergies, past health problems and a generally cranky immune system. I didn't always eat like this (my friends used to call me the Dorito Girl), but after a weird health issue called Candida, I had to learn to eat better or face even worse problems later. It took a lot of work and a horribly strict diet for awhile, but I finally managed to get rid of the problem and by going through it I have learned how to eat in a more balanced way. It's a cause I can't wait to push on children so they can grow up with healthy eating habits and naturally do better in school because of it, among other lifelong benefits.

So there I go. My first meeting is in Malibu at the owner's house on Monday morning. Fortunately his is still standing after the fires :). I wonder if I'll still need my dust mask ??