Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

 
It's been a little while since I last wrote on here, and in a time of major changes to the dynamics of my life, I have decided to return to something comforting and familiar.

Last week was the one year anniversary since I left my university town and moved home to my parents house, marking what was to be a chain reaction of big changes around me. Not only was I leaving the carefree student lifestyle I had so quickly slotted into four years previous to that, but little did I know that friendships, relationships and priorities would change as well.

Going to university away from home allowed me to lead a life of hedonistic fun with an easy-going attitude. Making friends was simple, getting in-between jobs was easy,and that blessed student loan would come in three times a year to help fund what was without doubt the best three years of my life. I left Oxford knowing exactly who I was, not knowing where I was going next, but believing that everyone I cared about would be a part of the next chapter.

Then life got in the way.

Now, a year down the line, I have forced myself into another life shake-up. I am quitting my current pub job after clearing my overdraft and getting all that I can out of it, to search for greener pastures. Where these greener pastures lie I am yet to discover. The major hurdle I have to jump is deciding which direction to focus my attention - not because I am great at everything I do (that is certainly not the case) but because there is a lot I want to do.

I want the boring clothes, the smart shoes, my own desk with the same view, the regular emails, the familiar commuters in the morning - I want a routine.

Not only is my professional life undertaking a big change, but my social life has as well. After spending nearly every waking hour in the company of friends I love for three years, where the longest trip to see lots of friendly faces was a ten minute walk up Cowley Road, I am now booking bus tickets to travel 2 and a half hours to see a very close friend I haven't seen in months. Oh yes, the times have definitely changed in a year.

I find myself in what will be a familiar quandry to most of my generation - where will I go next? I'm dying for a job that keeps me busy, stretches my capabilities and pays me more than expenses. Failing that, I'm keen to see more of the world, to go to places that are alien to my way of life and test my strength of character.

So, a year after I moved on from the last chapter in my life, I've achieved more immediate financial stability, started writing a sitcom with a work friend, taken a brief trip abroad to chase the journalism dream, and learnt more about myself and those around me than I did in years prior to this. Time to regroup, reassess my options, rewrite my CV and brave the unknown. Now where did I put those smart shoes...