My office is everything I've ever wanted (except I'd like windows). It's tucked back into a nook, I can arrange and decorate as I wish, I have a FRIDGE, and no one can sneak up on me. Get the heat sorted out and I'll be a happy worker bee. My bosses don't micromanage me, they trust me, and they have projects they would like done (I love projects). The hours are pretty flexible as long as the work gets done and leaving early on Fridays can be the rule rather than the exception. The coffee is good, and the people have been lovely. Some remember me from before and it's been nice catching up with old friends. Most of them think I'm nuts to live in Fort Worth, but when I mention the dating prospects, I usually get an 'oh, yeah, that makes sense.' Some people have asked me why I came back to GRMC and I think I've figured it out. Of all the jobs I've had, this is the only one where I have been accepted by my coworkers exactly how I am (kinda of an attitude of 'It's Mandi, there's only one and that's her and she is who she is and we love her') and consistently treated like an adult. Every other job I have worked has had some kind of micromanaging (break times, work, have to check with management before doing anything, no autonomy), disparaging comments from coworkers about my wardrobe/music tastes/lack of X, Y, or Z quality they think I 'should' have, etc, and at the call center I once was talked to about excessive bathroom breaks (I had gastrointestinal issues that day) as well as being told I needed to 'update my wardrobe' if I wanted to move up in the company. I know that eventually there will be pet peeves regarding work, no workplace is perfect after all and hospitals have their share of drama.
I will be able to move into my apartment on April 1 after 2 pm. I've got all my ducks in a row for moving day - electric, internet, renter's insurance. I've been able to help some of my friends out by gladly taking any spare furniture, dishes, or other assorted excess home goods they have off their hands. My friend A is coming to help me move, so we'll finally be able to see each other (shingles and a fire got in the way the last 2 times), and in keeping with my usual M.O, I haven't seen the apartment yet. LOL - as long as it's bug free and the A/C works, I'm happy. It's been a fairly painless process to get everything squared away and now that I have a good credit score, I don't have to pay a ton of deposits for things. Damn credit card does come in handy sometimes (growl, snarl).
Now, how do I know that TX is where I'm supposed to be? Why do I feel so peaceful about the move and grateful to be in my 2nd home? Well, in the next few months I'll be able to see my best friend multiple times, my friend in OK is coming down, my friend in IL will be coming down, one of my true Yankee friends is moving about 2 hours away from me, and my other true Yankee friend will be in Austin so I'll get to see her and her family as well. And the bestest part is my friend J from Korea will be coming to MS sometime this summer, so it'll be a fairly short 8-hour drive to go see her!! I love WY, it is my first home, but people don't visit there nearly as much as they do TX. I may even get to see another friend who is currently in CO but also travels a lot. So that's 7 college friends in the next few months and an international friend to boot! I'm so stoked. I do miss things about WY, obviously - my friends there, my parents, the scenery, my cousin and his wife - but most of my heart is either already here or able to come here for work or a visit. Also, I know my favorite festivals and things to do/places to eat around here. So yeah, on the one hand it's weird to admit that I'm an adopted Texan (even if I don't know all the words to the songs), on the other hand, I can't deny the feeling of 'home' I have here being surrounded by so many amazing friends and co-workers. I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with S while she's been gracious enough to let me stay with her, and her doggies seem to have accepted me 100%.
Three years ago, I would not have thought I'd be coming back to TX, let alone to GRMC. It's amazing what the Lord can do for you while you are busy trying to figure it all out on your own. It will be a long time before I forget sitting in the SA airport, crying, sad to be leaving my bestie and stressed about my lack of job prospects, and then getting that text from my TX boss lady. Just because you can't see what the Lord is doing in your life doesn't mean that He's forgotten you. I am eternally grateful for how things turned out, and I am prepared to LOVE my job. I've always wanted to make a difference. I think my ego has been telling me it needs to be on an international scale. Maybe I can make a difference by helping to make our hospital one of the best rural hospitals in the nation. Maybe I will make a difference, just at a local level. I could be ok with that. Heck, apparently I've been inspiring a friend without even knowing it until today! I guess we truly never know who is watching and perhaps at the very end we'll be able to see how it all fit together. That would be nice, although by that point it wouldn't matter as much, would it?
Anyway, just wanted to share my optimism and enthusiasm for the coming months. Some of these old friends I haven't seen for around 16 or so years... maybe 17-14 would be the range. It's been a day or two, let's just say. I mean, I've gotten to see them online and follow their journeys that way, but MAN it will be good to see them in real life. Even though we don't see each other often, we still have all the love for each other and that's what really counts, isn't it? So to all of you that I haven't seen for a while, know that I love you and I think of you even though I'm BAD at reaching out. MUAH! :* I know the Lord is working behind the scenes for you as well!
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