So, Labor Day's got me thinking...

At some point, I was supposed to get a "real" job, right?

I don't know. 

I've worked at the same coffee shop for over a decade now. I got the job straight out of college, and it was soul food for me. An independent coffee shop, based on the 90s model: alternative and casual, with attitude. To me, it translated as FREEDOM TO BE. I'd spent my entire life up until that time, being herded though the educational system and being told what to do, only to be dropped off at the end, not knowing what to do next...and, oh yeah, "Here's your first student loan payment. You're welcome!"

This job was everything I needed in those early days. Practically speaking, I made enough money to cover rent and my student loans. But more than that, it fostered a culture of music, creativity, health, travel, community, and alternative ways of living that have shaped my adult life.

As years have passed, through all my soul-searching, traveling, trial-and-errors, and trying to figure things out, this simple coffee shop job has remained, ever consistent and reliable. I've gone through periods of complete resentment about it--feeling "stuck," burnt out, uninspired, tired of working weekends, worrying I'm wasting the best years of my life, thinking any other kind of work would be better than waiting tables and slinging coffee...

But I'm not so sure.

What Do You Gain, What Do You Lose?

For as hard as I've been on myself for being stuck in a "day job," even now, I can still feel that spark of excitement I felt when I got the phone call saying I was hired. It's like my heart has always known what my mind still refuses to accept:

I've never been meant for a job in an office. I immediately panic at the thought of working 9-5. I can't sit still for longer than the length of a Real Housewives episode (fast-forwarding commercials). I crave freedom to BE--to wear what I want, listen to the music I want, and say what I need to say, with no pressure to follow a script or sales pitch.

This "day job" has allowed me to pursue even my craziest dreams. I've been able to take weeks and months off at a time to study in Paris, practice yoga in New York, and explore in Costa Rica. Not to mention my schedule on a daily basis, which calls for painfully early mornings, but beautifully early clock-outs. 

I don't have a 401k. I don't get PTO. I don't have a title. This isn't a "career." But do I really care?

Nope.

You can keep all that. My day job is my dream job. I'm learning to be satisfied with that.