Starting this new journey has been slow. Right before I decided to start Paint Yourself Happy With Jen, I had also begun a new nursing job. Let’s back up. About a year and a half ago I graduated nursing school as a single mother raising my now 8-year-old granddaughter. While in nursing school, I made the choice to uproot myself and my granddaughter and move 3 hours from where I had lived my entire life of nearly fifty years to move in with my boyfriend once I had graduated and taken my boards. Getting permission to take my boards took forever, so I moved before I had taken my boards. I was so afraid I was going to fail because it had been so long since graduation. But, I didn’t!! I tried a short stint as a dialysis nurse and quickly realized it was not for me. I had been working through an agency as I finished the last portion of school and awaited my boards. They had allowed me to transfer right over as a nurse, so I picked up some shifts. Let me tell you, there is a reason that new hires are required to have one to two years of experience BEFORE working as an agency nurse! There was a lot of crash course learning. I was going to long-term and skilled nursing facilities (AKA nursing & rehab homes). It was stressful, but the money was good and I chose my hours and where I worked. Sounds great right? It was … for a while. Then many facilities began to do away with using agencies. My hours dwindled and money became tight. It became clear that I needed a staff job even if it would mean a pay cut. I applied for a full-time position, got an interview, and was hired but with a part-time position. I love my new job, but it comes with an extensive orientation period where I cannot pick up extra hours. What if extra hours aren’t available after I’m off orientation? In my plan-ahead brain, I began to spiral into a panic because part-time work would not pay the bills and my whole first year as a nurse I had not planned ahead or saved money. I had spent, done all the things I wished I could do before, and acquired new bills. What was I going to do now??
In recent years I have developed into a free spirit of sorts or perhaps I always have been. More now than ever I have found a need to make every effort to slow down my life and focus on bringing calm and peace to my world. Seriously, I am becoming my mother. I used to think that was the last thing I wanted to do, but now as I prepare to hit the 50-year mark in this world, the idea doesn’t seem bad at all. In fact, more and more I find I am more like my mom than I realized. Or maybe we are both just evolving in similar ways. After moving I discovered a love of painting after attending numerous paint & sips, taking on intricate paint by numbers, and completing online video painting tutorials. Painting became a great source of calm and recentering for me. I attended a webinar (that I thought was another video tutorial) that talked about starting a paint party business. I joined the community and heard everyone’s stories. Everyone came from different backgrounds and situations. Some have formal education, while others are self-taught. Some have been learning for many years, and others have only recently begun their journey. But they are all succeeding and enjoying it. I thought, if these people can do it, why can’t I? Really, why can’t I? The only thing stopping me is me. I can keep paying to go to paint these paint experiences or I can make some money doing something I love while I bring the same joy to other people. So here I am doing it. I’ve been a little slow getting it all going. Starting something new is intimidating and it takes work. Starting two new jobs is a lot and some days it’s overwhelming. One day at I time I am getting this all together. With each day it’s becoming clearer that this is the right choice… and all of the choices I have made leading up to today are the right choices. I have never felt such a sense of purpose and peace. I still have things I am working to improve upon in my life, but my career choices are definitely going in the right direction.
Until next time, and hopefully, it won’t be another month!
Wow, It’s Really Been A Long Time!
6.29.26
Well, I guess life got to lifin’ and I let this blog slip to the back burner. I’m ready to pick this up like a real blogger. Its been 2 years. A lot has happened. Too much to put into one session here. So stay tuned for better updates.
Until next time!