The Job That Ruined My Life

The other night, brushing my teeth, I happened to be thinking about “the job that ruined my life.” 

My next thought (because perpetual optimist) was okay that is so dramatic. Yes, the job sucked but it would be crazy to say it ruined my life when it was only like 3 – 4 years of it. I surely can’t give it that much power.

Look at me, I thought, finding a positive spin to a bad situation. I found myself with a surge of gratitude for the great people that “the job that ruined my life” brought into my orbit and was feeling quite pleased about the whole switch in thinking.

Until. Okay, did it ruin my life? No. But also it did derail a lot of things I had going on. It was really hard for me and it took a toll on my mental and physical health. A lot of good may have come from it, sure, but ultimately, it was really quite bad and I’m allowed to feel that it was bad. It’s a disservice to myself to pretend that was normal or okay or…

What does it mean to be really honest with ourselves? What does it mean to be honest about the experience a place had on you? Sometimes that may mean taking off the rose colored glasses. Sometimes that may mean searching for a silver lining. It goes both ways.

When we fall into moments of nostalgia, let us try to remember the experience for everything it was—the good parts and the bad parts. Let us allow ourselves to feel every bit of it. And let that deep knowledge, that sincere processing, that honest reflection… let that heal us.