I’m working on the pre-sale side, obtaining quotes, creating marketing materials, doing research, and providing any other support that might be needed to help close the sale (since I am not a licensed agent, I do not actually write coverage or give advice). It’s a very small business, which means I also sometimes pitch in with post-sale support and general business operations as well.

To say that it’s great to be back in my field again puts it very mildly, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn the broker side of the business. I’m also pleased to be employed at the particular business I am; I started out looking at this as a job but I’ve come to develop a lot of respect, and even some caring, for the people I work for and with.

So why, you might ask, don’t I identify this new employer anywhere on this site?

It’s simple: because I respect them too much to want to inadvertently undercut them by expressing an opinion with which they might not agree. I reserve the right to have my opinions, but I absolutely support their right to run their business as they see fit — even when I might not have made the same decision or take the same position.

I did this same thing when I worked for The Castleton Group (2004-2006) and the situation wasn’t academic; that company’s official position was in support of the then-newly developed CDHP concept as a way to improve the health care coverage situation. In my personal blog, I openly called them blatant cost-shifting and nothing more than a way to reduce benefits.

Castleton had no idea I felt that way. It eventually did come out by accident, but only after I’d already been an active participant in the development and implementation of Castleton’s own CDHP. When my very surprised boss asked, my answer was that it wasn’t my place to question managerial decisions. My job was to carry them out, and if I ever got to a point where my conscience gave me a problem with doing that, I knew how to look for another job¹.

I never heard a word after that. But said boss knew I had a blog, and I imagine I’d have heard plenty if I’d identified Castleton as my employer while speaking poorly of CDHP designs. I would have deserved it.

The same situation applies with my current employer. I’m well aware that the owners of the company oppose PPACA in favor of a purely market-based setup; they make no secret of it. They also make no secret of their disdain for political liberals. In my online activity and personal life, I make no secret of the fact that I’m a political liberal who thinks that PPACA doesn’t go far enough and that access to basic health care is a matter of human dignity.

This could be a recipe for trouble, but that’s where the respect comes in.

I’ve had to make myself scarce during a couple of break-room conversations, but the owners of the company have never attempted to force me to do anything explicitly political. The one time I thought I might have to face it — during an educational meeting about the current Supreme Court case — I was pleasantly surprised when they took a neutral “just the facts” approach.

In addition, in the months since I’ve been there, I’ve seen case after case of them doing the best they can to make sure their clients’ employees get access to health care — and then some. The owners of my company care, and it shows.

I’d give them a certain amount of respect anyway based on their position as the owners of the company. But it’s behavior like this that has led me to develop more than just baseline respect. It’s also the reason that I believe I can contribute to their company and do my job with a clear conscience, even though I might not necessarily agree with some of what they do and say.

And it’s because of that that I don’t identify them online. If I’m going to work for this company, I’m going to work for them. That means making sure that outsiders understand that my personal opinions are just that: mine, and personal.

They deserve it.

1. If Castleton had chosen to exclusively offer a CDHP or not contribute to the HSA portion, I would indeed have started looking.

According to government records, she was born on March 20, 1865. But according to the family Bible, she was born on March 19, and that was the day she celebrated as her birthday for her entire life. The story, as told to her and then passed down, was that there was a howling blizzard the day she was born. It wasn’t until the next day that her father was able to get out of the house and register her birth.

This sort of incident isn’t difficult to believe given the time and place when she was born; most rural Americans were born at home during the 1860s, and the family lived in an area that was prone to blizzards into late March. When I give my great-great-grandmother’s birth date as March 19, 1865, nobody argues with me.

In the grand scheme of things, of course, it hardly matters which day she was born. But the fact that few people would question my choice to believe a family legend is interesting.

The story can’t be proven; those who were there died long before I was born so I’ve never heard it from a primary source. The most reliable documentary evidence directly contradicts my position. In today’s world of scientific proof and authenticated documentation, there’s no way I could get away with claiming that birth date for her.

If I were to point this out, of course, most people would respond with the very facts I noted above: it’s necessary to account for the time and place where the story occurred, and the documentation occurred after the fact anyway.

The important thing, after all, is that my great-great-grandmother was born, grew up, married, and had children to whom she passed down her beliefs and morals.

This is the exact same logic that those of us who accept Sacred Tradition use when it comes to our choice to believe in it. We account for the fact that during the time and place when Jesus of Nazareth lived, most teaching was done orally. And we are aware that the manuscripts which were lated collected into the Bible were primarily written well after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Does this mean those manuscripts — Sacred Scripture — aren’t important? Of course not! I would never ignore a letter written by my grandmother about her grandmother. What it means, though, is that I won’t dismiss a particular teaching simply on the basis of being undocumented. I don’t restrict my understanding of God’s revelation to those truths that are in written form.

Accepting Sacred Tradition is as much an act of faith as accepting the family story about my great-great-grandmother’s birth date. It’s actually easier for me to accept Tradition, since those teachings have never been specifically contradicted by written evidence.

My faith, then, is me saying, “yes, I believe this is true because such a belief is reasonable to me.” It’s reasonable for me to believe that my great-great-grandmother’s birth certificate contains an error. It’s even more reasonable for me to accept that Sacred Tradition is, in fact, a true revelation of God.

I’ve spent some time going through the blog and the site, and discovered that it needs a lot of work in addition to new posts. So, as I begin posting again, I’m also going to be doing things under the hood. Don’t worry; the site itself isn’t changing, and I’m not going to delete or hide my old blog posts.

I’m not entirely sure where I’ll end up going with this, but right now I’m taking an “anything goes” approach until I find my feet again. Suggestions are therefore welcomed!

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

I have to choose only one? Or is the purpose of this question perhaps to motivate a person into doing just that, as a way of prioritizing?

In that case, I suppose I would select finishing college. I’m coming up on my twentieth high school reunion (not this year, but soon) and in those twenty years that goal has never really quite gone away. There have been several times I’ve chosen not to go back or continue and there was a long period when college didn’t pass a cost-benefit analysis — I wasn’t at all certain I’d increase my income enough to offset the cost of student loan payments.

That last reason went away with my job at Intuit, and that fact is one of the larger reasons I finally decided to go ahead and do it. Life won’t be fun for me financially for the next three to five years, but I’m hoping to come out of it on the other side with a degree.

Money held me back, and I do worry about the student loan payments — but I believe that removing the higher income I’d had has given me a different outlook that may lead to a different outcome. I’ll know in a few years.

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

I fell off the wagon this week, although there was a very good reason: a I got a job, at least for a little while. I actually already had accepted the offer when I made last week’s post, but I wanted to wait until I actually started before making any sort of announcement.

It’s an interesting place to work, and things seem to be going well, but it’s the first time I have worked the pre-8:00 shift since I was 22, which was longer ago than I care to talk about. Adding to the situation, my non-morning-person tendencies had asserted themselves even more strongly during five weeks of unemployment than they had at Intuit, where my base hours were 9-6. So, it’s been an adjustment — although certainly not an unwelcome one!

This being said, a reason is not the same as an excuse, and the reason I’m making a post with bad news is to give myself an incentive to follow up with good news next week.

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

Because I started the job, I will go ahead and give myself credit for this week even though I missed (and subsequently made up) two days. But I’m not going to allow myself to get away with it again.

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

I am not, however, going to let myself get away with missing this one due to the presence of WordPress’ delayed-posting feature. So, I’m resetting back to zero — again. This being said, I have a couple of ideas in mind for posts, and a day and a half of weekend left.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

It wasn’t exactly progress, but here’s the post.

Next Update: July 16, 2011

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

I’m starting to run out of steam a little, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That’s because, while I didn’t get much accomplished this week, I got a lot of groundwork laid. In other words, I should start posting some interesting updates starting as early as next week. Or so I hope…

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

I did get restarted after the reset I decided to do last week — and haven’t missed. So I’m now at six days.

36. Write a real letter, sent through postal mail, each month for 12 consecutive months.

Someone in my life is going to get a surprise fairly soon. <smile> And I get to advance this to two consecutive months now.

89. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind.

I posted the answer to #15 yesterday.

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

Despite running out of steam, I did meet this requirement, and not just with one or two posts either. This now takes me to six consecutive weeks.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

Here we go! On to next week…

Next Update: http://sonria.org/blog/2011/day-421-july-9-2011

“Are you planning to become a professional photographer?” he asked me.

“No,” I answered.

“Then why are you bothering?”

He had a pretty good point. Since the classes are continuing education and not qualified as “career training,” I’ve been paying for them out of my own pocket — and they are not cheap. Given that the purpose of taking them is really thus for my own entertainment and that I need to cut expenses thanks to my lack of income, it can seem foolish to keep paying for them.

To be fair to myself, I paid for this summer’s classes before I made the decision to leave Intuit. But I could have applied for a refund; the money would come in handy. I have my reasons for sticking with the certificate series, though.

• I’m almost done. After the classes I will be taking this summer, I will only need to complete one more class and my capstone project. I’ve already invested quite a bit of time and money into this, and I know myself well enough to know I’ll always regret giving up at a point when it wasn’t much further of a push.
• I have something to prove to myself. I’ve enrolled and then dropped out of educational programs three times since I finished my associate degree. I lost count of the number of times I dropped out before I finished it. I have a bad track record, and I want to prove to myself that I can overcome it.
• I’m not averse to professional sales. The fact that I’m not intending to make photography my life’s work doesn’t mean I’d turn down the opportunity for a sale. In an interesting coincidence, just after the conversation with my friend I got a text message from a non-profit asking about using one of my pictures. I was thrilled.
• I need a creative hobby. Since I’m getting ready to turn one of my other creative hobbies (writing) into a profession, I need to hang on to something that won’t eventually develop pressure behind it. Shooting on assignment isn’t the same as shooting for fun, and I’ll need a way to relax. I’ll enjoy it even more if I know more about doing it.
• I’ve already benefited professionally. Part of the reason I signed up for the first class was a “strong suggestion” from my then-supervisor. Without realizing it, I’d started putting too much of myself into my job, and it showed. He was right to push me into having something significant outside work; it improved my mental state which spilled back onto the job.
• I need to avoid isolation. Although I’m capable of interacting with others, at my core I’m extremely introverted and thus unlikely to do it for its own sake. That can, and has, led to unhealthy levels of isolation. Putting myself into a situation where I’d be throwing away money by avoiding classes gives me an incentive to keep that from happening.

Even while I was working, it often felt very “decadent” to be completing the certificate series. It’s the first time I’ve ever taken classes (except for the occasional day-class or brief workshop) just for the sake of taking classes, and possibly one of the largest amounts of money I’ve ever spent on something that is really rather frivolous.

But I’ve learned some important lessons. I’ve learned that it’s okay to do something for the sake of doing it, even if it means using more than a nominal level of my resources. I’ve learned that there’s something I really can do, and do well, that isn’t work- or career-related. And I’ve learned that it’s actually quite important for me to have something like this in my life.

It’s already been worth bothering. Finishing it will be too. That’s why I’m doing it.

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

I’m a day late posting this, but it isn’t for lack of attention to the issue; rather, it’s apparently because of exhaustion. I had been attending a class yesterday during the day and after I got home, decided to take a short nap. I woke up about two hours ago (this particular post is being released real-time instead of on a delay). I don’t usually sleep that long so I must have needed it.

So, on the theory of “better late than never,” here’s the weekly update post for the Day Zero project. For the record, yesterday’s class was definitely worth the lost time and is going to have a positive effect on the blogging, so I’m not at all dissatisfied.

3. Complete two original cross-stitch samplers.

I finished up the design for one of them this week, and ordered the last couple of supplies I needed to actually do the sampler. They came in yesterday while I was in class. It’s a fairly simple design and shouldn’t take that long to make; it’s also not at all in keeping with my décor, so it’ll end up either sold or becoming a gift.

I also ran across gnatkip’s Internet sampler and I simply have to do that one — but, a little to my surprise, I found myself redesigning it to fit onto a smaller piece of fabric and be more personally meaningful. Given that it’s a redesign of an existing sampler, I haven’t decided if it will count as the second “original cross-stitch sampler” or not.

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

I completely forgot to do it on Wednesday and Friday of this week (although I attempted to make it up on Thursday). Then, last night, I simply didn’t get to it for the same reason I missed this post. I would have let myself off the hook for a single miss, but three misses in a single week? For that, I think I need to reset to zero and start over. It’s not like extra thankful lists are a bad idea.

90. Complete NaNoWriMo.

Let me just mention that yesterday’s class was on writing. :)

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

This past week makes week #5, which (I think) is the farthest I’ve made it so far. I had blank-page episode on Thursday night, though; I had no idea what to do next and my usual resources for sparking ideas failed. It continued through Friday, but yesterday during the lunch break I wrote out an entire page of ideas for BenefitsFringe — which I kept. I also had a few ideas spark for this blog. So, I think I’ll be able to keep going.

99. Write three original short stories.

I actually wrote an entire one in yesterday’s class — complete with beginning, middle and end. It was only one-and-a-half handwritten pages, though, and I’m not sure it was all that much of a story. It certainly wasn’t submittable. I also may end up folding it into this year’s NaNoWriMo project. So while I wrote a story this week, it remains to be seen whether or not it will count toward this item.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

I may have been a day late, but as you can see, I wasn’t a dollar short!

Next Update: http://sonria.org/blog/2011/day-414-july-2-2011

If you had to relocate to another city, what would you miss most about the place you’re leaving behind[?]

I wouldn’t miss Atlanta for Atlanta. It really hasn’t made all that unique of an impression on me. But I would miss some of the things I have in Atlanta, not all of which are tangible. Depending on where I was going, I might also miss a few things that aren’t specific to Atlanta but are specific to the geographic location.

This question hits a little close as I write this, because my “fall back position” if I run out of money during unemployment involves moving back to Raleigh. I don’t want to do that. The reason I’m trying not to do it is because I like the life I have here in Atlanta. Oh, it could be better — and I’m working to make it that way — but my house is here (and I’m loving home ownership) and my immediate educational plans involve schools in the metro.

It would also be something of a personal defeat. This is the first time I’ve really been completely on my own. People tell me I’ve already proven I can make it because I will get to the five-year mark in a couple of weeks, but time doesn’t always equal success.

So I’d miss living in Atlanta. But not really because of anything specific to Atlanta, beyond the fact that I’ve specific plans involving local locations. (There are schools in Raleigh, and in many other cities, where I could accomplish the same educational goals. There are also homes to buy practically everywhere.) I’d miss it because of what it’s meant.

Depending on where I went, I might also miss things that are actually more about the South, such as the climate and the local traditions. I’ve lived in the South almost all of my life, and there would be culture shock if I moved to a different geographic region. While I enjoy diversity and new experience, I do like having familiarity to fall back on when things get confusing.

(This being said, I’ve wondered if a couple of years in some place like California might do me some good. But that’s beside the point of this post, and I likely wouldn’t stay there permanently.)

Although I’ve been in Atlanta for a while and, if I get my wish, will be for a while longer, I don’t plan to live here for the rest of my life. Eventually there will come a time to move on, and while I don’t yet know where I’ll go, I’m pretty sure I already know how I’ll view my time spent here: as a good part of my life, but one I won’t really miss.

Project URL: http://sonria.org/project/101-in-1001

List: http://sonria.org/blog/2010/day-0-may-15-2010

It has been another long week, and there’s a bit of panic starting to nibble in. I’m still several weeks from really ending up in trouble, and I still know that I’m emotionally doing better than I would have if I hadn’t resigned my job. But I’m getting ready to pass the one-month mark, and that’s bothering me.

That being said, during this past week I finally started getting phone calls and even had one interview. So I have reason to be optimistic, and I’m trying to look at this period as a chance to get some serious work done on the Day Zero list as well.

21. Complete and post a three-item thankful list every day for 180 consecutive days.

I made it all seven days again this week, which takes me to a total of 26 days now.

83. Donate 100,000 grains of rice at FreeRice.com.

I picked up another 2,000 grains this week, and discovered that I’m not as good at English vocabulary as I thought I was. Time to study up!

89. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind.

I answered #14 this week. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am going to slow these down a little bit now. I’m aiming for the next one around July 1.

97. Make one substantive blog post per week for 26 consecutive weeks.

Another week down. I’m now at four consecutive weeks, and still staying ahead of myself by using the delay feature. BenefitsFringe (where I’m posting twice a week right now, and considering going to three times a week) is starting to find its feet.

101. Post progress each Saturday.

Here we go!

There were signs this week that I’ll soon be starting to update other items. I’m doing some more photography work now and tentatively hoping to do a shoot this next week. I also am cutting back on more expensive entertainment, which has led to more cooking as well as to me pulling my cross-stitch supplies back out.

Today marks the 40% mark of the Day Zero project (wow, it seems time has flown). Let’s see what I manage to do over the next 60%!

Next Update: http://sonria.org/blog/2011/day-408-june-26-2011