The beginning of whatever this is.
So here I am — 30-something, laid off, low-key spiraling, parenting an adult child, and trying to choose between two wildly different career paths: one involves Botox, the other involves potentially wrangling wildlife. My life currently feels like a weird game show where I’m blindly picking doors - which one leads to peace and which one has a raccoon waiting to be rescued (yes, that makes sense in context — I swear.)
Hey there, I’m Wendy — 30-something, recently laid off, mildly overwhelmed, emotionally unpacking years of stuff in therapy, and currently navigating life with an adult child (yes, you read that right — my kid is 18 and somehow taller and cooler than me now). Parenting an adult child is a whole new world. I’m learning to navigate this shift from being a full-time mom to something… else. Supportive, present, still needed - but in a different way.
To be honest, this is not exactly where I thought I’d be at this stage in life. I thought I’d have a career by now — I feel like I’ve just been bouncing from job to job all this time, not building anything. Just surviving. Then when I was laid off last month, it left me feeling a little lost. Now I sit here staring at job boards and LinkedIn posts, wondering what exactly I even do anymore and it’s embarrassing, I’m not going to lie. Everyone seems to have some neat little package of skills or a clear passion - I feel like I missed the memo. I feel like a loser with no real direction. It can make you question your worth, your intelligence, and even your identity.
I’ve spent the last 15 years in healthcare and customer service — managing stress, solving problems, and finding creative ways to say “have a nice day,” when I absolutely did not mean it… So, naturally, I made the completely calm and rational decision to go back to school in my 30’s. Because what better time to start juggling full-time life responsibilities and essays than when you’re also questioning every life choice you’ve made since 2007?
Now I’m stuck between two very different, but oddly, related paths:
Option A : Veterinary Science. Because I love animals. Especially wild ones. Squirrels? Yes. Possums? Absolutely. Birds of prey? Sign me up. I’m basically one rescued raccoon away from becoming a Disney princess.
Option B : Nursing (but make it aesthetic.) Think injectables - Botox, fillers, and helping people feel good about their skin. Not the kind of nursing where I deal with bodily fluids and middle-of-the-night call lights. I’ve done my time.
Both are amazing. Both are totally different. And both make me wonder if I’m in the middle of a midlife crisis or just finally waking up to what I actually want - a career with Botox or bobcats?
I’ve recently started going to therapy (finally,) and it’s been equal parts eye-opening and overwhelming. It’s like opening an emotional junk drawer and realizing, “Huh… didn’t know I was still carrying that around.” It’s messy and hard and also kind of amazing. Highly recommend.
I live in Tennessee — have for the last eight years. I’ve made some truly amazing friends here - people who have held me up during hard seasons. But I’m still far from family and lifelong best friends (miss you guys,) which is hard sometimes.
So why this blog?
I’m not writing this looking for pity. I’m writing this because life is a lot right now, and it’s not to pretend I have it all figured out. Spoiler alert - I don’t. And because maybe someone else out there feels the same way I do - like life forgot to give you instructions.
If you’re also in your “WTF am I doing with my life” chapter - welcome, you’re in good company. I don’t have answers, but I’m trying to give myself some grace. I’m trying to believe that maybe not knowing what’s next doesn’t mean that I’m a failure - maybe it just means that I’m in between chapters. And maybe that’s ok. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. So grab a snack, maybe a drink, and let’s figure it out together. And laugh through it, because honestly… what else can we do?