Usually this time of year I think about what to write about in my Christmas letter.
I am one of those old school people who send cards with letters in them with actual postage stamps and everything.
I often think my letters are boring. Well, except that one year when I told everyone that my son was an European soccer star and my 8 year old daughter ran off to marry the prince of some unknown country. Yes, I actually did write all that since it was amusing and it wasn't the standard "everyone is just great" letter.
This year has been a bad one as far as years go.
I lost my home. I lost my job. I lost a battle with the health insurance company and my surgery was denied.
Sometimes I have half a mind to write all of that in the letter. Family and friends have no idea what kind of crap happens over here.
I always think that the new year will be different, better some how. It just never seems to get any better.
Oh well...
Maybe I will just write a poem:
Jingle Bells, Santa smells...
This year kinda sucked
Hoping next year is better.
:-)
When I had lost my job, I was shocked. (but not super shocked, I didn't like the job and it showed)
It isn't easy being fired. It beings emotions of not being good enough or being a loser. Truth be told, many successful people have been fired. Google it if you want.
When I was down and out, I decided to make a list of all of the jobs I had over the years:
Babysitter
Custodian
Student Research Assistant
Administrative Assistant
Walmart Associate (CSM)
Laundry Cleaner
Hostess
Busser
Bartender
Waitress
Financial Aid Employee
Order Entry Clerk
Club Manager Assistant
YMCA Guest Services
The list goes on and on....I held many hats over my lifetime.
The point of my list was to help me figure out which job made me the happiest. Which job did I enjoy doing despite the compensation. Which job I wanted to focus on.
This helped me target my next employer.
I loved my Walmart job the most with being a hostess as a close second.
Then I listed why I liked this (these) job(s) the most.
It was simply because I enjoy customer service and not being tied to a desk for eight hours a day.
I worked for Walmart in the mid 90's. This was before I had kids and I was able to work the whacky hour schedule and I could live on a minimum amount of money. I loved the people I worked with. I still see a few of them when I stop in my old store. They welcome me with hugs and smiles. They ask how everything is and then they ask when I am coming back. This always makes me feel good about the type of people that Walmart hires.
So I decided to apply again at a store closer to where I live now. I didn't expect too much as I thought that they might think I was more of the office type since I haven't done customer service in a million years.
A week later I was offered a job in the sporting goods/automotive department.
I was stunned and happily accepted.
I was nervous of course since it meant a pay cut from what I was used to and the hours aren't the typical 9 to 5.
I was also nervous because I was afraid that I lost my customer service touch.
It was been almost two months since I started there and in these two months I have received many compliments from my supervisors on my job performance. I also have such great satisfaction in talking with do many different people on a daily basis and helping them find what they need.
Now this may seem silly and kind of dumb for someone to enjoy their job at Walmart but what really matters is that so many people have jobs because they just pay the bills. People go to a job where they don't enjoy it.
I finally can say that I love what I do so it really isn't work at all.
