Eureka

I just found an espresso bean in my bed.

Now this is not an ordinary occurrence, mind you. I pulled back the sheet in order to straighten it around, oh, two in the afternoon. And there was the little glossy black intruder, batting his eyelashes at me, taunting.

Please do let me immediately clarify a few things. I do not regularly drink my morning joe in bed, propped up lazily with my reading glasses and the paper. (I do not even wear reading glasses; the image only seemed appropriate.) My sheets are, in fact, quite clean, as I wash them every Friday morning. I do not make a habit of keeping said beans in my pockets, purse, or shoes.

Rude as he may be, what this small bean symbolizes is a revelation.

The likely culprit is that damned green apron that I daily don that I probably, one afternoon this week, tossed lazily across the foot of my bed, in the middle of something else, another thought or agenda, and the bean that had stowed away in one of the deep side pockets ran out, making himself comfortable in a space where he was most certainly not welcome. I imagine him laughing all the way, swinging his arms in a free and forward motion.

Even though I am slightly (if not completely) past the point of realizing that I need a step in a different direction, this made me quite literally slap my forehead in an overdone awareness: once again, I know that it is time for the world to move on.

So how can you tell? What are the indications, obvious or hidden, that an effective-immediately change is in order? I'd say the best way to figure that out is to first and foremost, Know Thyself. Have you changed? How? Are you better than before? Are you ... worse? Do you find yourself doing or saying things that shock even you, are you unsure of yourself in certain moments, do you seem dragged down? This information is key.

From here, grab the ice pick and keep hacking towards the center. Start with some questions like:

Do I dread going into my job?

Do I feel like my health is fading/fluctuating?

Am I making enough money to pay my bills?

Is the commute killing me?

Am I bringing work home with me, physically and/or mentally?

Do I get along with my co-workers? My boss?

What is the work environment like? Negative? Positive? Non-existent?

Am I stuck in a stand-still position?

Easy. The answers, not the process. That is, of course, only if you are honest with yourself. If you are not sure that you can be, have something else make the inquiries, someone trustworthy who will understand your dilemma.

This doesn't just have to be about whether or not it's time to escape a certain atmosphere. This can even be a way to figure out if you just need a career change, drastic or otherwise. (Remember, though: On career-ing, I can't really give you awesome advice. I'm not really oriented in that direction. What I can advise, and advocate for whole-heartedly, is that people find a way to do something worth loving. New interest, old stand-by, anything. Make it something you're proud to get behind and happy to do.)

The signs may surprise you. They may be full-blown, enormous, towering over at you bellowing that you obey them. They may fall through the cracks, you may not see them for what they are right away. Still, the signs get that it's a hard road, but that won't stop them from wanting your attention. So give it. Look their way and think it over.

Look for the beans in your bed. Tell them flatly where they can go, then give a push.

Then change your sheets.