On The End Of An Era And The Start Of Something New

ALOHA!!!

Yes - That's me coming out of a pit! I have come back from the dead (It's almost Halloween after all), stretched my chubby little fingers, and decided to start writing again!  
I know... I know... I realize that with  more than a year of being on hiatus, I may have lost most, if not all of my readers. I also am not amiss to the fact that I would almost have to start over, to gain everyone's interest again - and I'm fine with that. It's my fault I stopped writing :(

However, I am back - and I'm hoping that with the recent changes in my circumstances, I will be able to continue writing as I have in the past. I have missed my blog... a lot. So much so that in the last year, I've been going through my old posts, feeling like I'm reading about the life of someone else. 
(*tear*... Who is this Eartha person?? I want to be her frieeeennddd... Waaaaah!)

LOST AT SEA

Okay, let's go back, shall we?

When you all lost me, I was working at the Cruise Ship, as most of you may remember.

In this job, and everything that came with it (i.e. rules and regulations, stress, toxicity, lack of sunlight, lack of time, etc) I feel that I may have lost myself a little bit. 

Everyone has this glamorous (and fun) impression of #cruiseshiplife -- and for a lot of younger folks, it actually *is* a pretty cool career. (I've even written about what it's REALLY like to work for a ship here.) 

I mean, I can't blame people for thinking that, really... Because all I do is post photos of myself riding dolphins and turtles all day.

However, regardless of how fun it was exploiting those awesome animals, my position held a lot of responsibility. And with responsibility, came a lot of stress. There is also something very peculiar about the ship I was working for, that made me feel like there was a Dementor, hovering above me all the time... sucking my soul out, little by little. 

And what did I do to make myself feel better? 
Like a true Harry Potter fan, I ate chocolate. 

(And other junk...like bacon...and...and... I really don't want to talk about it.)

And so for years, I was stressed out, my soul was being sucked out by a (fictional) invisible hooded shadowy thing, and I was gaining a crap ton of weight.

Your common sense really has a tendency to emerge in moments of extreme clarity... (and for me, it was the 3rd time my button popped out of my uniform, combined with a twitching left eye and a migraine that wouldn't go away) After that, it didn't take a lot of time for me to realize that the job wasn't for me anymore. I definitely wasn't happy. 

I realize I'm making it seem like the job is godawful - and it's really not. I had a lot of fun, too... (i.e. LipSync Battle) But I've outgrown the job and the position in so many ways... And I think what it really was, was that I was constantly missing the ME that I have come to be when I was out there, traveling the world. I was carefree, inspired, apeshit happy - and - I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but - incredibly fit! Yes. I was sssmokin' hot!!!

I didn't think so back then (which is a stupid shame), but compared to my current Michelin Man womanly figure, I was rockin' a pretty great and healthy body back then without even trying! 

Earth2Eartha got lost... (at sea.)

But the job/career/lifestyle of working at the ship served me pretty well, too, because I got to travel a lot during my vacations... And if I'm being completely honest, I think that was the reason why I held on for so long. The fringe benefits of the job outweighed the misery of actually working my job.

Anytime I thought about quitting, I thought to myself - where else could I find a career that allows me 4 months of paid vacation in a year? And so I stuck it out...

But then I started rationalizing the quality of life that I was sacrificing 8 months out of the year. If I was in complete misery for 2/3 of my life - does that even make anything worth it anymore?

And the answer is no. 

So after a long internal deliberation, I finally decided to exercise my freedom of choice, to take myself OUT of a situation that didn't make me happy anymore. I chose to be responsible for my life and my happiness (like we all ought to). I put my foot down, and in true Earth2Eartha fashion, decided to take yet another leap of faith.

Last May, I turned in my notice, gave them a few months to figure out what to do about my replacement, and on October 14th, 2017 - I said goodbye to the ship (and Hawaii) one last time.

Read: I'm FREEEEEE!!!!

INTO THE WILD

When I decided I was done and I wanted to resign, I didn't have a plan. It truly would have been the first time I decided to leave a job without some kind of fallback. When I quit to travel the world in 2013 - the plan WAS to travel the world. This time, I had nothing. All I knew was that I was done - and knowing I didn't want to do it anymore was enough for me. But because the Universe is kind, and she knew that I was on the path to following my heart once again, an opportunity manifested!

And so come this winter, I will be working at a Ski Resort in ALASKA!

Is that a plot twist or what?

That's right. I'm going from Hawaii to Alaska. I'm trading volcanoes for glaciers... wild chicken for wild bears... and rainbows for --- wait for it --- Aurora Borealis. ;)

Well, it is a SEASONAL employment, so I'm only going to be working there from December to April. In essence, this job just buys me the time that I need to figure stuff out. I'll be working at the front desk in Guest Services, living at their employee housing facility across the street (in an apartment with a living room and a kitchen), with two days off. I know this sounds completely mundane to the normal - but this is freaking AWESOME for a former cruise ship worker! For someone who used to work 7 days a week, stuck in a tiny room in a ship and hardly ever got out, this sounds like a dream already! :)

I admit. I probably could have chosen a more enticing snowy photo. But there it is.

Why all the way North, you ask? Let's see... I've spent the last 3 years in the scorching heat, gallivanting around the Caribbean and Hawaii, donning flip flops and a tank top. If I'm looking for a bit of a change... I think the question should be - Why the heck not Alaska? :)

Earth2Eartha Resurrected

Now that I have a lot of time in my hands - I actually might be able to do this again on a regular basis! Like I said - I've traveled a lot on vacation and I never got to share any of those trips... and I've gone to some really amazing places. I'm getting ready to go on a few trips in the near future, too... So I'll keep you posted ;)

I fully intend to share a lot of the past trips I've taken, as well as keep everyone in the know on the adventures up North in the blistering cold. 

But for now, I leave you with this beautiful quote from Bill Haley and His Comets...

"See you later, alligator...
    After while, crocodile..."