30 5 / 2012
The Time Machine
On April 17, 2012, I decided I wasn’t waiting anymore. I started looking for a new job and life in San Francisco. About a week before, I received a birthday present from a friend–a Time Machine. No, not that kind of time machine–it’s a kinetic display clock that increments time by shifting around chrome ball bearings to minutes and hours.
For over a month, it sat on my desk at work without a power source. I really had no excuse to leave it sitting there neglected; it accepts C batteries or 6 volt DC. I was finding myself rationalizing the reasons why I shouldn’t waste my time turning it on. “Why haven’t you bought batteries,” my coworkers would ask. “I could have a job anytime now,” I’d think to myself.
One of my work friends who knows about my job search wrote, “LAME,” on a Post-It Note and stuck it on the Time Machine so passersby could see my shame. I’d tell my lunchtime confidant, “but, I’ll be gone soon!” Every few days he’d check on the Time Machine and tease me about the neglected state of my desk gadget.
I couldn’t avoid the obvious correlations to my own life. I’ve been ignoring the here and now. My work hasn’t been affected; I’ve always been praised for being a top performer, but the only thing I seem to be focused on is my current job and finding my next one. When I go home, I’m usually in the living room on my laptop looking for leads as I “watch” (more like listen) to my favorite TV shows. I’m constantly missing visual cues on Mad Men and Community.
I took Memorial Day weekend off from the job search to enjoy a much-needed vacation from all obligations. Reading résumé tips, networking on LinkedIn, and researching new opportunities can’t happen every day. In fact, I should probably pick a day each week to relax and not focus on the job search at all. It will come in time.
I did finally get around to putting batteries in the Time Machine. And while there is no actual time machine that will magically transport me to my next destination, I’m perfectly content to give myself an occasional break to watch the time pass by.
