Just Like That

"You never know the biggest day of your life is going to be the biggest. The days you think are going to be big ones are never as big as you make them out to be in your head. It's the regular days, the ones that start out normal, those are the days that end up being the biggest."

--Izzy Stevens

For quite some time I've been looking for a new job, one that means health insurance and a stable, calculable income, and for months I've come up with nothing.  James got hired "temp-to-hire" at Yamaha in September and while we are hopeful his contract will be bought out in December (meaning he will come on board as a Yamaha employee, with all the amazing benefits), I'd rather be safe than sorry.  

Ever since my hip surgery in March I have longed for a job that would get me off my feet. I don't know if I will ever forgive myself for cutting my rehab short and going back to work before I was painfree. I worry I've done more harm than good, working long walking hours to make ends meet while James was unemployed, and I'm honestly too scared to go back to the Ortho doctor, out of fear he will confirm that I've done more damage and that I need another surgery.  

This past Wednesday I was off from work at Stacked, about to start my day which consisted of errands and laundry when I got a phone call asking me if I had time for an interview today or tomorrow for a job opportunity that opened up.  I thought I should play it safe and pick "tomorrow" so that I'd have time to prepare, but in the end I was asked to come in merely two hours later because they had already booked interviews for the next day.  Such short notice!  I printed out the latest copy of my resume and hurried to curl my hair before pounding down an iced coffee and running out the door.  I felt wholly unprepared and a little rusty when I showed up to speak with the President and Vice President, but apparently I wow'ed them nonetheless.  They gave me the usual lip service, telling me they really liked speaking with me and that they'd get back to me the next day.  I drove home thinking I wouldn't tell anyone about this, like it never happened, because I probably wasn't going to get the job, and last time I interviewed for a job I told everyone about it just to let them all down when I didn't get picked.  As I was trudging up the stairs to our apartment I got a text from a number I didn't recognize-- "U got the job!" 

I called them back and it turns out they cancelled their interviews for the next day, and I start on Monday! :)

I wish I felt total relief or excitement at that moment, and admittedly I did a little bit, but if you know me you know that I hate confrontation and all I could think about was how I was going to explain to Stacked that I needed to quit on the spot.  The next morning I walked into the restaurant with as much confidence as I could muster, and in what has to have been an act of God, the one manager I preferred to speak with just happened to be there, and in a great mood.  He took it so well! I was honest and told him I had been working towards this for a long time, that my family needed this and that I needed this, for my health's sake.  He was completely agreeable and actually gave me many congratulations. He reassured me of my strong work ethic and said I am great.  And that I'd be great.  And that if I ever needed anything, including one last free meal, that he'd take care of me.  And most importantly, that I didn't even need to put in a two-week's notice.  And then the relief and excitement really came.  Even in my wildest dreams I could never have pictured that conversation going so well. I bounced out of there and home to my husband to tell him the good news. :)

So today was my last day of part-time life, and I have to say I am a little sad.  I will miss my mornings drinking tea and catching up on chores and tv shows.  I will miss lunch dates with friends and being able to make appointments at non-peak hours (when the working folk get their stuff done).  But I will tell you what I won't miss, I won't miss the inconsistent hours, or financial instability that came of it, I won't miss working on holidays and weekends, I won't miss the girl-drama or the not finding out about my schedule until the week before, but most of all I won't miss coming home with swollen feet and aching joints.  Call me and old lady, but that is truly my favorite part!

Timing is a funny thing.  It's like you try so hard to make something happen, you try for such a long time and you try every avenue possible, and nothing happens.  You wake up expecting to fold laundry and stay in your pajamas most of the day, and the next thing you know you're driving to the next biggest opportunity life has to offer.  One of those times where, in the blink of an eye, your whole life changes. Just like that. I guess everything does happen for a reason, and I'm so glad.