I had scheduled this mini-vacation, five days, Thursday through Monday (St. Patrick's Day!) a while back, planning on using the time to declutter my cocoon, find my citizenship certificate which I need to renew my driver's license and which I saw a few weeks ago, tucked it away in safe place and now, of course, do not have a clue as to where that safe place is. Planned to spend some time hanging out with friends, doing a bit of gardening, baking, having friends over for brunch. Plans change ...
There's a song, I think from the 60s or 70s, that goes something like "Ch-ch-ch-changes ..." That's all I remember from the song, it does have catchy music, but trust me, you do not want to hear me belt even that little bit out. Change and I do not have a very happy relationship. Have never been a big fan, having had a boat load of it when I was little, I am one who likes a set routine, a set job. I am happiest when I know exactly where I am going Monday through Friday. Have read articles recommending one change jobs every two years or so, but have never been a fan job-hopping. The longest I have been at a job was 15 years, same boss, three different firms. Next up was four years, then 6. I have been at my current job for three years; well, it will be three on April 4. However, my last day will be April 15. My boss gave me a heads-up on Monday that big changes were brewing, so I was ready when the next afternoon I was called into the office administrator's office to be advised I was being "phased out." One thing I can honestly say is, I will really, really miss working with my boss. She has been an incredible boss and is also a trusted friend. As far as bosses go, she is pretty darn special. I know both of us will come through this just fine, but, oh, I am so going to miss working with her.
So, out came the resume I never expected to have to update. My boss is helping me tweak it. Next week I start job-hunting, knowing the right one will be put in my path. Just as this one was. Emails will be sent, interviews will be set up and by the beginning of April, if not sooner, I will have a great new job. Must confess, initially I freaked out, just a bit. Then I calmed down because I know things will work out. At first I thought I'd take these originally-supposed-to-be-vacation days to start looking for that new job. But, no. I am taking the time to do what I originally planned. Monday (St. Patrick's Day!) I will start the job-hunt. Until then I am decluttering, spring-cleaning, getting my cocoon in order and finding that pesky citizenship certificate. In the next few weeks, between job-hunting and interviewing, I will renew my license and disability parking permit.Tomorrow at the crack of dawn, 7:00-ish to be exact-ish, I am meeting a detective regarding the Valentine's Day drunk-driver rear-ending snafu. The detective just called and asked if I thought I could pick the drunk driver out from some photos. Apparently this individual caused quite a mess after rear-ending me and then taking off. Thank goodness I managed to get the car's tag, which turned out to be a rental car. So, tomorrow, I am off to look at pictures, see if I can pick him out. The Cuban Nancy Drew is on the case! The little car I had been driving had minor damage, what really annoyed me was the driver's refusal to get out of his car and then when I walked over to him and told him to get out of the car he replied "No English!" to which I replied "No hay problema, yo hablo espanol!" He then proceeded to make like he was deaf. The alcohol fumes were almost overwhelming. My mistake was getting out of the car without my cell phone. I could have snapped his picture. But it never occurred to me someone would just point-blank refuse to get out of their car after having hit someone, however slight that hit might have been. Silly me. It was around 4:30 in the afternoon, for Pete's sake, and this guy was soused to the gills. I have no problem with people getting snockered in their or someone else's home. I do have a problem with someone getting soused and then getting behind the wheel. Because 9 times out of 10 when they cause an accident, the drunk guy walks away and the innocent get hurt, or killed. There's a case in the headlines now of a horrific accident caused by a drunk driver who blew through a red light, hit a car so hard it looked as if it was split in half and killed a young girl who was in the back seat, her dad was driving her and her sister to school. The drunk guy? Took off and when caught tried to lie his way out of it. Apparently in court he tried to turn the situation around, saying it was the other car who ran the red light. See, this is why I believe in the death penalty. He took a life. In my book, he should pay with his. Granted, it would not bring the victim back to life. But it would, maybe, serve as a warning to other miscreants out there who have no problem getting behind the wheel when they are drunk. Yes, as a matter of fact, I really AM turning into a dictator. There's way too much leeway with criminals these days. No accountability whatsoever. It's always someone else's fault. Oh, dear, I have bobbled and weaved. Let me get back on my original subject.
I am not a big fan of change, however I have realized it is a fact of life and you have to go with it. Because fighting it only makes you miserable and (in some people's cases) also bitter. Life is way too short to go that route. A former boss, who was quite the character, with such a good, good heart, he left us way too soon, once told me (we were having a rather heated discussion about change at the time) "My God, you are SO resistant to change!" and I told him "Well, I had to leave my country, my grandparents, everything familiar to me when I was really little. My parents and I bounced from one country to another to another to FINALLY the U.S., where, thank God, my grandparents joined us about six months later, but we moved every single year, meaning I had to change schools every single year, as my family's fortune improved. THEN right before the end of junior high, where we'd miraculously been for three years in the same house and same school and I was really happy with that, my Dad's parents came from Cuba and settled in Miami and my Dad up and moved us to Miami, where I did NOT fit in because I was too American for the Cubans and too Cuban for the Americans. Miami did not turn out to be the happy family place my Dad envisioned. So, yeah, I don't like change, I've had a boat load of it!" and he said "Well, that sounds like a pretty interesting life with all that traveling and moving around!" Mr. Levine, how I do miss our verbal exchanges. You made me see my "change-ful" life from a way different perspective. It is true, I may not have liked all those changes, but they did expose me to all kinds of people, cultures, food! Those changes, in turn, taught me it was true what my parents always told me, we may be different from each other, but we are also all alike. We all love, cry, laugh, hurt. We all need kindness in our lives. We are one.
While I am not exactly doing a happy dance over this latest bend in the road, who knows what interesting people and experiences I will have because of it? There is a lot of good out there, one just has to look for it. I am thankful for the time I have spent at this job, for having had a fantabulous boss, having learned so much. I am thankful for my tribe, my clan, my pack, who have my back. (Rhyming was unintended.) Sounding like a broken record yet again, I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed.
Changes are in store for me. Who knows where this new job might take me. I am visualizing getting back into word processing because, frankly, after having been my boss' assistant for three years, I really cannot picture myself working with another attorney. All I know is the right job will be put in my path. We will see what changes the Father has in store for me. One of my favorite websites (Abraham-Hicks) has this quote on their home page "You are loved. All is well." As Oprah says, this I know for sure.
Until next post, be blessed, believe and keep the faith!
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