Gainfully Employed

As I write this on Thursday evening, I realize I might be one of the few people excited to work tomorrow morning. After all, by the time most of us reach Friday, we've already started to think about the weekend. But, while my actually time unemployed has been short, I've been anxious about my situation for a little while longer than I've actually been out of work. So, having a job to begin on Friday morning is very exciting!

You're invited!

• Who: YOU!
• What: A celebration of Paula's new job
• When: Any time - but I encourage you consider this now instead of later...I know it can be easy to forget
• How: In lieu of buying a celebratory cocktail, consider putting that money toward an organization that helps those who are hungry. Even $5 will help!
• Where: There are three places that are close to my heart when it comes to feeding the hungry:
  Feed My Starving Children - Feeding the poorest in the world
  Franciscan Brothers of Peace - Local foodshelf on the "East Side" of St. Paul (try here to donate)
  Second Harvest Heartland - Maximizes donations for local people struggling to put food on the table

If you decide to participate, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

A cause to celebrate
Originally, I thought I would organize a little happy hour celebration or informal gathering at home with some friends when I began a new job. It would certainly be a welcome reason to gather, and I am known for throwing a good party. Most definitely, I want to offer my gratitude to all those who have prayed for me or supported me by listening and encouraging me.

However, the more I reflected during my time of unemployment on this hoped-for celebration, the less it seemed fitting. Continually, I returned to the remembrance of the many times I was anxious about what I would do if my savings ran out. Throughout the time of worry, I often felt so afraid that I began to despair. Consistently, whenever I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore, a different person would, unprompted, let me know they would do what they can to make sure that I will be okay.

Over and over, I was struck by how needless my anxiety was (despite how real it felt) and how many other people don't have the "safety net" I am so blessed to have. And in these cases, it wasn't anything I'd worked harder to earn. It was simply the gift of the people in my life.

This post has (like most of them) taken a different path than I expected. There are some details about some of the choices I made that I wanted to discuss in this post, but they'll have to wait. I wanted to share some humbling and hopeful experiences as I struggled to remain mindful of my gifts and give what I had in abudance (time) when other resources (money) were (are) tight. (There is, of course, a purpose other than to be selfaggrandizing.)

For now, suffice it to say, I decided a couple of weeks ago that, when it came time to celebrate my new job, I wanted to celebrate in a way that helped others who face economic challenges and are not blessed with the support networks I have.

A few job details...but only a few
In addition to the fact that I now have to train myself to go to sleep earlier in the evening (and it's starting to get late), I simply can't tell you a lot about my job, especially not on a blog. Currently, I am an employee of Humera, a staffing agency. If/when the job becomes permanent, I might be able to share more about where the job is located. I'll be working as an administrative assistant and also doing some customer service. I'm very excited to have a "regular" daytime job, although during the near future, I'll be spening much of my night and weekend hours studying.