Coming Back

 Generally, I’ve viewed old jobs the same way that I’ve viewed old boyfriends.  There’s a reason we broke up, and I’m not going back.  I rarely ever considered going back to somewhere that I had quit… so why GRMC?

Looking back at the truly toxic workplaces that I’ve experienced, GRMC has always been different.  Yes, there are those around here who think that I’m weird – but my weirdness is accepted as a part of who I am and left at that.  The attitude is not “This is how she is, we need to change her” it’s “This is how she is, and we accept that.”  My old boss likes to say, “You are Mandi and you are YOU and no one else is you.”  I like that.  She usually says this with a smirk… the kind of smirk you get when dealing with a cheeky student.  Being accepted for who I am has been a rather rare occurrence in my life, so it would make sense that I’d go back to a job where I felt accepted.  Also, my work ethic and the quality of my work has always been appreciated here.  When my now boss was told that I’d be interested in coming back she exclaimed “I could have Mandi?!”  If one lives by the adage “go where you are wanted” then of course I would come back here.  There are also things that I really enjoy doing (like making signs and cheat sheets and such) that come in handy at a hospital.

If it’s so great, why did I leave in the first place, right?  Well, the job that I have now is the job that I thought I’d be rather good in before, but it was never available before.  Also, my job before was partly in Medical Records, which brought me into more contact with the public.  Explaining HIPAA to someone who swears she/he is the one who deals with her/his husband/wife’s business and it’s insane that we need the spouse’s permission hand over their medical records got really annoying after the first 2 convos, and no better after the umpteenth.  Also, there was a clash of personalities between me and some of my co-workers in other departments that lead me to believe that there would be no opportunity for me to advance if I had stayed.  There’s only so often you can come up against “but we’ve always done it this way” before you want to rip your own hair out.  There’s still some of that (because people are notoriously resistant to change), but my bosses are wanting to make some changes and I think they have the support to do that now.

There are things about Texas that I don’t like (blasphemy, I know).  I forgot about how bad the tailgating is, and how selfish the other drivers are.  I wanted to get a rather risqué bumper sticker, but I think I’ve changed my mind.  I saw one that said, “Do you follow Jesus this close?” and I think I like that better.  Especially since the other one may have led to unwanted advances.  That being said, I know what festivals I like to go to, I know what concerts come back and what to look for, I know my way around the state, some of my favorite humans are here… in many ways, TX is home.  No place is perfect, Lord knows, but some places are more suitable for me than others. 

My greatest struggle at the moment is just having the time to make my apartment more home-y.  I’m hoping to fix that this month.  Each weekend, I’ll have one goal.  This weekend’s is hanging the curtains that J&D gave me.  I’ve measured the windows, so I know the length of the curtain rod I need.  I have a screwdriver (well, a leatherman) and a hammer – tho I will need a stool or a chair to stand on as I’m not quite tall enough to hang them properly myself.  They are blackout curtains, so that should help keep my heating and cooling costs down.