Purpose

Have I told you about my job? Do you guys know that I don’t really love it? If you do, you may be aware that I am working on my masters in a field completely different and much more necessary for me but at the moment I’m qualified to do what I’m doing; sell stuff. So that’s what I do everyday- and it’s good stuff that I sell. There are some serious negative moments, but I know those exist everywhere in every job. Sometimes it's harder to plow through with the right perspective when it’s a job you know isn’t going to be your forever. 

Anyway, I have grown into the belief that all of us are doing certain things, in specific places, encountering people at the times precipitated by a bigger plan. Essentially there is a purpose, beyond me earning money to help provide for us, to me working here. Trying to remember that can be difficult. As the days get long and start to feel boring I know that the people  that I work with are what make my days fun. By each of them being different from each other and different form me, learning from them, and how they have provided me with friendship via circumstance in a place where I had about 2 friends when we showed up. I saw that light again today when I realized a morning conversation with my manager started with work and moved to pretty much everything else. I came back to my desk feeling happy- thank goodness for people who connect with you and bring you back to a place of optimism, even if that isn't their intention. Random conversations with someone I like and truly respect make these long days worth it. I am so glad I was able to recognize that this morning!

Thursday-- turned around!

Struggling with these headaches has made me super negative and a grump for people (mostly Nick) to deal with on a daily basis. I was trying and trying to turn my mood around this morning and I couldn't do it. This is why it is so valuable for me to get out around people! I came into work early, deciding not to make a stop at McDonald's, and my coworkers lifted me right back up! It's so nice when people restore your faith in people :) 

Here's what they showed me this morning:

- Shared some amazing Coldstone Creamery coffee creamer for my morning coffee

- Showed some empathy and changed our weekly requirements, making today much more stress free.

- Overall positive demeanor --- thankfully it's catchy!

Thankful this Thursday for these people.

The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions—the little soon-forgotten charities of a kiss, a smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment in the disguise of a playful raillery, and the countless other infinitesimals of pleasurable thought and genial feeling.  ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Stacey, full speed ahead.

I lost my ability to gauge the conversation today. You know what I mean? Someone at work started talking about rank, so I was talking about Nick and his rank, etc. For those of you in this situation, do you do this? I truly have no problem talking about Mike and who he was and things that happened. Sometimes, I think, to a fault. I went full speed ahead in this story, switching from Nick to Mike and back. Then the person I was talking to asked one simple question, "Do you mind if I ask, did you get a folded flag?" Broke my filter WIDE OPEN and I kept talking and talking about the flag, and how his parents got a flag, and where he was buried, and why, and the funeral, etc. At one point my co-worker said, "Um I don't want to really talk about this." followed by a casual, awkward "ha. ha." Snapped me back, a little too late.

I kinda feel bad if I made that person uncomfortable. I am always willing to tell people who don't know about what happens, what happens. It changes opinions and perspectives. However, I may have been a bit too willing.

Working on trying to keep myself in check the rest of the day!

This will be a boring update.

Here is an update of my life :)

1) I have moved. I am now living with Nick in NC. My stuff all arrived last weekend and it is fabulous to have everything here and in one place. I still feel like I'm visiting here but I'm sure at some point it will hit me. I told Nick to hang in there when I do, ha.

2) I will be starting a Community Counseling master's program at Campbell University in May. I have an interview for the program and I have not actually been accepted yet, but hoping there is no problem. I am thoroughly excited to begin taking these classes and see how my future career path will unfold.

3) I got a job today! I haven't worked since the last week of January 2010. A job at the apartment complex we are living in was looking to hire a part-time leasing consultant to help fill capacity. It is a brand new place and they haven't filled the occupancy yet. My boss is very willing to work around my school schedule which is essentially what I would need in a job. We also get a rent discount and I can walk to work! It sounds like a good job for me right now.

Things are good in those 3 big areas of my life and I'm pretty happy about all of them. Thank goodness for a little rest :)