Image by Tyli Jura from Pixabay
I returned to the workforce in 2022, working part-time in a field I know best: hospitality. For two years, I had a delightful work/home life balance, and my writing continued evolving. I anticipated writing success, and my goals to reenter management soon followed when I became a Marriott Operations Manager in 2024.
I was 52.
This was a career boost, going from my typical departmental managerial role pre-COVID to a position with cross-departmental responsibilities. I liked my staff. I enjoyed learning new things. I was determined to make a professional impact, making revisions where needed, all while ensuring the ultimate guest experience.
Personally, I remained faithful to the writing dream and continued my creative pursuits.
Not long after, however, I realized that my job description entailed much more than I had bargained for.
- Administrative and physical tasks were exhausting- Running around, inspecting rooms, while maintaining office duties felt like a race I couldn't win
- Adhering to particular brand standards under tight time constraints felt unfair- "Better, More, and Faster" felt contradictory and unachievable.
- Enforcing these guidelines felt untrue to who I am- My basic motto: I could never see myself asking others to do what I could not.
Heightened stress, lack of sleep, and irritability set in, deviating me from my art: writing.
What was once inspiring, my "lifeforce" became a designated chore. A demanding job spilled over into my personal life, and my free time became another race: Keep up at home, take care of family, and write felt like a juggling act. It wasn't long before I realized I couldn't do it all.
From juggling balls to dropping one, suddenly, my anticipation of becoming a successful writer became just another 'pie in the sky dream.' It was nice while it lasted, but in reality, I was just another unlikely author.
Soon, my regular post on my own Medium blog began to falter; Vocal Media meant a vacancy for my published name, and the desire to create, engage with fellow artists, and continue my steady two-year streak began to wane.
Slowly, at first, until one day I up and left Medium, ditching 5,000 followers, all my content, and achievements. I shut it all down.
Goodbye profile. Goodbye achievements. The only thing that remained was the above screenshots.
The only thing I kept was my Vocal Media profile, posting here and there while I continued working, trying to keep up my appearance while the hotel industry continued breaking me down. I felt like I was living a false life, robbing myself of personal joy, artistic joy, but someone had to pay the bills. Despite my inner nudging, I hauled myself to work each morning, thinking my creative dreams were great while they lasted.
The dreamer in me felt deprived and continued feeling so until the day a workplace accident meant losing my job and an uncertain road ahead.
In my next post, discover what another major life shift meant for me professionally and how I reshifted the "unlikely author" mindset.
The continued story of a fifty-something writer...
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