Chipping the Dip

In a society that values employment over a great deal of things, including marriage before intercourse and the freedom to carry a concealed weapon, I find myself floundering (or flailing, whichever you prefer) in a precarious sea of judgment.

When I meet with old high school chums, with many leaving to pursue graduate school or various feats of bravery (volunteering in third world countries being one of them), I am continually bombarded with questions as to my situation. Being the chipper, denial-embracing girl that enjoys living a life of glee, I admit that I "write but have not been hired full time". The "aws" and "that's okays" follow and of course I'm hit with a hypothetical backhand: I've lulled myself into THE DIP.

The Dip is the point in your life where nothing is moving forward or backward: this phenomenon usually occurs when you've done something impressive that'll get you your 15 minutes of fame, but beyond that it's an endless sea of eating chocolates and watching High School Musical with your cat. Thank god my family doesn't get the Disney Channel.

In any case, I am one bag of tortilla chips away from fully embracing the Dip: it never occurred to me when I was basking in my published state that it would end. And cease it did, while I sat aimlessly in my room reading The Ruins, the irony of which has not been lost on me. Being reminded that I still do not possess a government reduced paycheck every two weeks does little to push me out of the Dip, but instead pushes me further in and covers me in guacamole (why am I making guac out to be so horrible? That sounds absolutely amazing).

The best way to push yourself out of the Dip is to constantly remind yourself that avocados are fattening, someone WILL hire you, and your 15 minutes of fame were important because what you DID was important.

I feel like I just wrote my own mantra...and hopefully it'll help me to put down the taco spread and turn off Men's Swimming...but nothing says "drive" more than Michael Phelps in a Speedo.

Someone hand me the Fritos.