Give Someone The #WriteGift With CROSS

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This post is sponsored by CROSS Pens. Please note that, as always, any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own.

My Dad taught me to appreciate the beauty of a quality, luxury pen at an early age. We gave him a couple of them over the years and it was easy to see that he treasured them. It was easy to appreciate the beauty of these pens, but at the time I never fully understood how he “felt” about them. Recently, the folks at CROSS Pens asked me if I had a story to share about a time that I took “the next step.” One big one came to mind.

I worked full-time outside of the home for many, many years. I started blogging in 2005. When the year 2011 rolled around I was working full-time and blogging pretty close to full-time. Back then I was doing medical billing. While it was a means to an end, it was by no means a personally rewarding job. Truth be told, it was pretty thankless. Noone wants to talk to the biller. Not the patient, not the insurance company. Thankless.

During the spring of that year I found myself not feeling well. After multiple tests were done, specialists at one of the top heart and lung hospitals in the country informed me that they felt I might have cancer in my lungs. They wanted to do open surgery right away. I made them hold off a little over a week, so we could celebrate my youngest son’s birthday. Then on July 5 I went into the hospital for lung surgery. I had informed it was highly likely that I would lose my entire left lung. Long story short, I was very lucky. The surgeon only had to take half of my lung, and it turned out not to be cancer.

I was on temporary disability from work. I was stunned to be notified in August that my position would not be held while I was recovering. If I wanted to work there I would have to reapply as a new hire, and if hired I would start once again from the bottom, losing a lot of money as well as annual time off. I couldn’t do it. It was time to do something else. But what? Long story short (again), I decided to go back to school and get my degree. I also decided to put serious effort into blogging full-time.

Struggle develops strength.

It’s hard going from knowing exactly what you’re going to make in a week to not. This is the plight of many self-employed folk I would imagine. Gone are the days of getting paid two weeks after I work. Real life today means I get paid net 15, 30, 45, 60 and even 90. Anyone that isn’t in a similar situation might wonder how a person could work so much but not have cash. My struggle to learn to live with the new normal has given me the strength to try and learn from patterns, and to force myself to remember to remember and to forecast. Working for myself is not always easy from a business point of view, but from a work and personal point of view this is the best decision I have ever made and the best job I have ever had.

Over the past year I’ve been faced with some personal issues and have found myself dealing with depression. Some days are easier then others. Some days I struggle to get through the day. It’s on these days I try to remember…. Struggle develops strength. Obviously no pen can cure depression. But, a special pen like this does empower me to try my best to deal with things and move forward.

About CROSS

CROSS has always championed the pursuit of greatness. From the spark that inspires a passion, to the hard work and creativity needed to make it happen. It takes courage and a lot of heart, but those who take this path are the ones who make their mark on this world. CROSS was established in 1846 and to this day, receiving a CROSS fine writing instrument is a symbol of achievement, accomplishments, and human potential, all while being a luxury fine writing instrument. CROSS seeks to provide those possessing extraordinary vision and a strong entrepreneurial spirit with the tools needed to make their mark. CROSS will always continue to be the #WriteGift for recognizing the deserving moments in anyone’s life from a job promotion, to marriage, to graduation…

Visit www.cross.com today to find that special pen for the special someone in your life. You can also keep up with CROSS on social media, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Who deserves to receive the #WriteGift in your life?