done.

It's done. This week I turned in my notice to Channel 9. I handed it in and immediately felt this surge of power. A rush. I have not regretted it once. My coworkers all seem thrilled for my newfound happiness. I'm so glad I followed my heart.

So what now? That's a question I've been getting a lot. My boss sent a note to the newsroom making it sound like I'd accepted a paying job with my local habitat affiliate that I have been volunteering with. This is not the case and I'm fairly certain that she just said that to avoid having to tell people that I'd rather be unemployed than work in that dark dungeon any longer.

I want to write. For real. I want to write a book. I want to write for magazines. I want to volunteer even more for habitat. I want to take disaster training classes with the red cross and get deployed to help natural disaster victims who live hundreds of miles away. I want to give back to the world that has given so much to me.

Matt, while he is willing to support me financially, is not so keen on my idealism. He wants me to find a paying job that makes me happy. He is supporting me because not so long ago he was not happy with his job... and I backed him 100%. That's what we married folk do. We have each other's backs.

I have some potential freelance work. It involves linking myself to a former anchor who is known for outbursts of rudeness and complete disorganization... but hey, if it pays the bills...

Either way, I'm following my heart. I'm doing something that will open new doors. I will be happy. I won't eat 2 meals a day at my desk. I will have windows to look out of. I will go outside. I will bid goodbye to the profession that has claimed my eyesight and probably a good 10 years off my lifespan. My last day is the friday after Memorial day...

I may not be done with news for good. This may just be a break in the road. In a year, if I get the urge, my non-compete clause of my contract will be up and I can go any damn where I want to produce. Including our direct competition across town which is known for being a much more manageable work environment...

I'm pretty darn pleased with myself.

oh yeah, and I got an amazing new tattoo. It's a section of a stained glass window from a church where we stayed while cleaning up after Katrina. I am so proud of it. It reminds me of the love, trust and gratefulness between complete strangers during times of disaster. It reminds me to give back.