How I spent my summer vacation

Since this was always the first writing assignment of the new school year back when I was in grade school, I decided it was the perfect way to start this new blog.



GETTING SUMMER STARTED
I am a Nurse Practitioner. Just before Memorial Day I took leave of my job of the past two years as VP, Strategic Planning for a communications agency in New York City. With leaving this job, I also left a daily train commute to the city from New Jersey--lunches at great restaurants, Chinese food lunches with my friend and cube neighbor, Joan, and just the wonderful atmosphere of life in NYC.

My career path of the past 10 years has been pharmaceutical marketing communications--what that really means is that I worked in marketing agencies that focused on the pharma industry. I have had some great experiences, participated in some greatly needed drugs coming to market to help people with poor health become well, and met some very smart and caring medical professionals around the world. In that respect, my agency-based career has had its inspiring, unforgettable days.

But the uncertainty of agency life is something I had to re-think. The hire-up--and then fire-down with the ups and downs of billable hours is exhausting. Great teams can be decimated overnight and unfortunately that has been a frequent experience for anyone in the agency world. So, as many times as I have survived down-sizing, I have also been its victim. This was a victim year. So the re-thinking began.

RE-thinking is best done poolside and I spent a rather carefree summer with two big decisions: 1. trying to figure out a career move that would be bulletproof from downsizing and 2. how will I survive financially and mentally until I figured out #1.

One of my first poolside decisions satisfied #2-- I would not carry COBRA, but see firsthand what the "No Health Insurance" experience is all about (we are certainly hearing a lot about it in the political campaign platforms). It was a glorious summer break. I have not had a break of this duration since maternity leaves and it was nice.


NO HEALTH INSURANCE EXPERIENCE

Making this decision was serious--I had to take a complete body system inventory and figure out how to stay healthy.

Here is the health-wise prescription I wrote for myself:
--feed my brain with good books, good music and watching the Phil Spector trial.
--become a vegetarian to protect my digestive system from over-exertion--eating meat weakens the immune system
--exercise every day to get stronger and protect against injury from falls or muscle strain.
--plan an encounter with something beautiful everyday--to help me stay calm and happy--flowers, art, music, sunrises and sunsets, Broadway, etc.
--join an exercise class to meet other motivated active people--and I met several new friends who are just wonderful.
--spend lots of time with BERIT, my golden retriever, learn as much about her as possible and feel so lucky to have her with me everyday.

END OF SUMMER--RESULTS OF TIME WELL SPENT

I am stronger, healthier, happier, tanner and motivated for moving forward. The summer break really worked.

I have not been sick one day since leaving my job!!! My only problem is how to spend the $2,000 in my flexible spending account before December.

Here are some of my other plans:
--participate in the Danskin triathlon next September with my friend Diane and my aerobic instructor Carolyn
--finally take the trip to China in 2008 as member of a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Exchange team
--take a real vacation
--read the new biography of FDR by Jean Edward Smith as my wintertime book
--make my new consulting company strikingly successful

Oh, did I mention that I started a new consulting company, The Grimes Group, LLC-and have a wonderful client in the healthcare field?

So just as I left my Nurse Practitioner practice in 1998, I now have left the agency world to become my own boss. Hence the name of this blog: Going Going Grimes
Already thinking what to buy myself for Boss's Day. :)


PREVIEW NEXT BLOG: I HAVE A GRADE-SCHOOL GIRL-SIZE CRUSH ON. . . . just wait til you see who the unsuspecting guy is!!