Late Night Catch-Up
For some reason, I’ve always felt more creative, and better at writing, at night. That’s why I’m writing this at nearly five in the morning. I had a pretty bad headache earlier and ended up falling asleep about five hours ago, only to wake up in the middle of the night. If you’ve ever had a night like that, you’ll know how hard it is to fall back asleep.
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. I like the night. I like its quietness, the sense that nothing is expected of me. That peace of mind gives me the space I need to put my thoughts into words.
Nights like this give me time to stop and think about where I’m at in life. It’s something I’ve been doing more and more often lately. Maybe it’s because so much has changed in just the past couple of years, or maybe it’s just the calm of the night giving me the space I need to finally catch up with myself after the day is over.
Two years ago, I was working in fast food. It wasn’t great, and it didn’t pay much, but the coworkers I had made it a lot more tolerable. Honestly, I thought I’d be stuck there for at least a few years, especially with how hard it is to find decent work when you’re young in Italy.
But out of nowhere, about two and a half months into that job, I got an offer for a six-month internship at a company in the city. “Can’t hurt to try,” I thought. So I went for it. I figured I’d be told there was no room for me afterward. But to my surprise, just a year later, I was formally hired. The IT field is already pretty saturated everywhere, and job hunting in this country can feel nearly impossible.
I was lucky. And I’m grateful for that.
It’s been two years since then, and having a job I don’t hate, with decent pay, has helped me achieve a lot in a short amount of time. I’ve been able to travel to England and America, rebuild my home workstation, support my family financially, and most recently, buy a new car.
The time I spent abroad gave me the chance to visit some of the most important people in my life, which is something else I’m deeply grateful for. If I had the choice to go back to one moment in time just to live it again, it would be that.
I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it. :)
Life really never goes the way you’d expect. Sometimes it’s messy, sometimes it's great, and sometimes it surprises you in ways you could never see coming. To tell the truth, I have no idea what the next few years will hold for me, and the thought scares me at least a little bit. But for now, I’m really grateful for how far I’ve come, and I can’t wait to see where it’ll take me next!