My first day as a non-working member of Sony Pictures was odd. I awoke as normal, 5:30 a.m., but didn’t shower. I took some time to blog. Leslie made breakfast as normal. But then I didn’t have to rush off. I handled the business of transitioning my cell phone plan. It was stress-less because I didn’t have to be some place else. I even joked with the associate on the other line, learning a lot about Mali, his home country. Trent and I left the boat and drove off to consolidate items in a couple storage locations around Ventura. We cleaned the minivan and lunched at a place we hadn’t been before. It was good. I find myself considering cost unlike before, noting the prices on the menu, wanting to be economical. When I worked at the studio, lunch was my little reward to myself for going to work. That’s not necessary now. The best part about yesterday was that I was able to work well with Trent. He said he liked working. I was patient and helpful with him. He found it fun to work on tasks that are simple. It felt good just to hang with him. Being April 1st, we played a trick on his brother. Bryce took it in good humor, catching me soon after on one of his own April Fool’s pranks. It was a good father and sons day.
In order to save some money on my phone plan, I had to drive back into Culver City. I called one of my former managers along the way, just as I had always done before leaving Sony. In a strange way, I liked the whole habit. Driving over a hundred twenty miles, checking traffic conditions, streaming “This American Life” over the car’s sound system, felt normal; especially driving up PCH at sunset. But this time, I wasn’t mentally exhausted when I got back to the boat. We watched “Life of Pi” together. It was more comfortable this time. I didn’t carry the struggles of work.
My first day away from Sony did not bring a feeling of empowerment and invigoration as I had expected. Instead, I feel like I’m starting my own business, a family business. I’m excited by the challenge. Best of all, I am enjoying the simple tasks.
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