Awkward orchids. They’re a point of contention for some, while others love them to the ends of the earth. Last year, my friend bought an orchid for my birthday. I don’t have much luck with finicky plants, if it needs a lot, chances are it’ll die on me. 

Back in August, I asked about how to care for orchids as mine started growing those bud thingies. 

At the time, it felt symbolic, as I was embarking on a new chapter in my own life. It felt like a good omen, quite literally new growth as I dealt with a shift in my career.

For context, my background is mainly in social media, but in the last two years I had been feeling overworked and uninspired with my field. My original plan was to work in Cape Town for 5 – 7 years, leave SA to teach abroad and then pursue a Masters. But as you should already know, plans don’t work out the way you want it to. 

The pandemic happened, the travel plans got suspended and I became less satisfied with my career path. 

I speak a lot about my Saturn Return but it has been a crucial time in my life, especially as it travels through my sixth house of work. For the record, since January 2020, I’ve had about three job changes, none lasting more than a year. It stemmed from a variety of things but mainly, I just couldn’t find the right fit for me.

Ultimately, I needed to accept that I no longer wanted to work in social media, full time.

I had to sit with the fact that my plans to teach, hadn’t worked out exactly how I wanted to. As much as I thought it was meant to be here and now, it simply wasn’t happening.

But what I could do, was change where I was. A friend and I spoke about this, how when shit feels fragile it feels good to change at least one thing in your life: your home, your job, your friend group, etc.

I think that once I made that decision and had that realisation for myself, things fell into place. So, I quit my job. 

I had no real back up plan, but I did have a vague idea of what I was going to do. Funnily enough, that initial leap is how everything fell in place for me. I have now pivoted into more of what I enjoy and it’s been rewarding. 

Sometimes you just have to jump and hope for the best. I’ve had no problem making bold decisions, but my issue in the last two years has been finding the right place to stay. I’ve been fidgety and with one foot out of the door for so long, that discovering an environment that feels good for me, my health and my career has had a phenomenal impact on my happiness. 

Anyways, back to plant care. It’s 2022 and my orchid has survived. In fact, it’s blooming as we speak. The timing of which coincided with me making a few risky decisions that paid off. 

I’m 31, I finally feel like the last two to three years make sense and that every step (and misstep) has taken me to exactly where I need to be.

Hope this resonates,

A