Should I Take the Job
Why I Should Take the Job.
- My life mission is to intentionally and gratefully serve my family and my community. I would definitely intentionally serve my community and possibly, just possibly, help figure out a big issue for Wyoming. The idea of making such a large contribution to my State excites me.
- I love being on a team. I would be leading a team of twenty towards a common goal that impacts the State and our economy. I am a complete dork and cannot wait to do team building activities with this new team, especially the engineers. Watching engineers cringe during team building activities gives me weird joy. I also love watching people grow and thrive and succeed. This would give me a bird’s eye view and the opportunity to contribute the success of others.
- It would be a challenge. A good challenge gets me as excited for Monday morning as a football fan is for a Sunday. Accomplishing tasks and reaching goals, and frankly, winning, is akin to a runner’s high in my lane. I not only love it, I crave it. I. Love. Winning.
- I’m flattered. The year 2016 was full of disappointment and…rejection. It’s nice to start fresh with 2017 and be offered such a well-respected position by a talented group of professionals. It’s nice to feel valued. And appreciated. And have someone want me on the team. I miss my teams.
- I would get to meet new people. When mountain climbing, each curve, each wall face, and each handle is different. It’s similar with people. Every individual has a story that is unique. How a person’s experiences and needs interact with another’s is an intriguing puzzle that I enjoy putting together. After twenty years in medicine, I realized that what I loved most about my profession was connecting to people. This job would allow me lots of new, 1000 piece puzzles and interactions that I would otherwise never have.
- It would be stimulating. Throughout my childhood and teen years, I only wanted a career in medicine. I became a RN at age 22 and loved every second of my career. By the time I decided to go to graduate school (8 years later), I had written six novel length manuscripts and tinkered with the idea of doing something different. I applied for two graduate programs: a Master’s in Nursing to become a Family Nurse Practitioner and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Being the practical person that I am, my next manuscript was my thesis about Stress and Emergency Departments. Still curious about another what another career would look like, twelve years I actually pivoted away from medicine and into civic work with the Downtown Development Authority. It was a crazy pivot that led to more civic aspirations and a second place finish in a mayoral race….and now this job. The opportunity to continue this alternate career route is exciting and never something I would have anticipated.
- It’s stable. I like stability. I’ve had my same car for the last nine years. I use yahoo. I kind of want a flip phone. There is great comfort in ordering the same food and having a routine. Our bodies love routine and our minds perform better with routine. Stability to me is like wearing my comfy clothes and no bra. It’s just how it’s supposed to be.
- I like having somewhere to go. Am I the only mom who obsesses about how clean the wood floor is? For some reason when I am working I can handle a lot less cleanliness then when I am home. It seems the more I am home the more obsessed I am with cleaning. And organizing. And cleaning. And organizing my cleaning. It’s exhausting always organizing and cleaning and never getting anything done.
- I love looking like a professional. There is something about wearing fancy clothes and putting on make up that I just love. Maybe it’s because I lived the first twenty years of my career in scrubs and my hair up, maybe it’s because high heals are a tad bit more elegant than clunky Danskos, or maybe it’s simply that when I dress up I feel better about myself. Regardless, I love looking, acting, and feeling like a professional.
Why I shouldn’t take the job.
- I would have more time with my boys. And I have so many of them: four! And they all need me in so many ways. My 19 year old come home from college on the weekends and wants a home cook meal. My 17 year old and I are BFF’s. Lane and Drew are 8 and 6. My most favorite little boy ages are now until they become teenagers. The idea of being around a bit more for this magic age of still holding hands but able to brush own teeth is appealing. I love the idea of snuggling with them more often, taking them to the pool in the summer, and just being available when they need me. Here is what makes this one hard: all of the justification. Justifications:
- They are in school during the day.
- They don’t want to hang out with mom all the time.
- I have lots of help from brother, grandparents, and dad.
- I’ve always worked so this job wouldn’t be any different.
- I would fill my time with so many other things that I would essentially be working full-time anyway.
- Do dad’s consider this or is just a mom thing?
- It doesn’t mean I love them less if I work.
3. My day would be flexible. Did I mention I like routine?
4. I could breath. For the last three years, and possibly the last forty-three years, I have gone non-stop, worked several jobs at the same time, and pushed myself as hard as I possibly could. The idea of not pushing is so foreign that it’s kind of intriguing…and also terrifying. I wonder if I could learn how to breathe and enjoy each moment for what it is? What would I do with that space if I actually just embraced it instead of filled it?