Today was a pretty good day.
I had my orientation for my new job at No Frills. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to getting started.
Everyone seemed pretty cool. I didn’t get to meet my actual manager yet, but we did meet the store manager. Our training schedule should be coming out in a couple of weeks, so now it’s just a matter of waiting.
And I’m actually excited. Like, genuinely excited.
I’ve always enjoyed being part of a store opening. I was on the opening teams for both Winners and Target when they opened here, and I worked the opening shifts at both. There’s something about being part of a new team, getting everything ready, and watching those doors open for the first time that I’ve always loved.
But today’s excitement means a little more to me than just starting another retail job.
When my relationship ended, I honestly thought I would never work again. I don’t think I realized just how much that experience had knocked me down. I had lost someone I thought would be part of my future, and suddenly I was left trying to figure out what came next.
For a while, I think I lost sight of myself.
But something has changed.
I’ve started realizing that her decision to leave was just that. Her decision. It wasn’t a reflection of my worth, my abilities, or what I could accomplish with my life.
I was the one left to pick up the pieces, but that doesn’t mean I have to spend the rest of my life living among them.
I’m allowed to move forward.
I’m allowed to be happy.
I’m allowed to find something meaningful for myself again.
And today, I felt a little bit of that.
And I have people in my corner cheering me on. Having someone genuinely happy to see good things happen in your life means more than I can probably explain.
I’ve always had a tattoo on my leg that reminds me that no matter how badly life knocks me down, I can still rise again.
I think I’m finally starting to understand what that means.
I’m not going to pretend everything is suddenly perfect. Life is still life, and there are still things I’m figuring out. But I’m not standing in the same place I was before.
I’m looking forward to something again.
I’m making plans.
I’m meeting new people.
I’m finding reasons to get excited about tomorrow.
And maybe that’s what moving forward actually looks like. Not some big dramatic transformation, but a collection of little moments where you realize you’re doing better than you thought.
I spent a long time thinking I’d lost so much when my relationship ended.
But I’m starting to realize that I haven’t lost myself.
Maybe I’m just getting reacquainted with the person I was before everything got so heavy.
And this time, I’m looking forward to seeing where I go.
I’m not starting over. I’m moving forward.