Happy anniversary to me...

Beastocity: 1 year

At the beginning of this month I celebrated my one year anniversary at my job. Hooray. I still feel like I’m learning new things, although maybe not every day, at least once a week. I feel like I’ve finally warmed up to most of the people who I automatically branded as “scary.” Overall, it doesn’t really feel like a year has passed. Sure, tons has happened and college feels like at least a year ago, but I never imagined that being in one place for a year could feel short. When I first came here, I’ll admit, I was like psshhhh there’s no way I could see myself here for a year… puhleez and as I asked some of the folks how long they’d been here and heard the responses of 2 years, 5 years, 15 years… I couldn’t help but think woa… looser. And I think my one-year-ago-self would have said the same words to my present-day-self. Wow, one year. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal to you and maybe I have vocational commitment issues or it could be that my gut is telling me that I haven’t arrived at my dream job yet (duh, gut, but these things take time…).

Which has also led to my recent sentiments of urrgggg, [sigh], and uhhh as I think about the next year which I will most likely be here (by the grace of God). But instead of running through my list of reasons why I should bash my job, I’d like to express my gratitude to my job and to God for providing me with this job.

Thank you God and job for growing me in my confidence to do maintenance and use tools. I feel empowered that people would come to me to help them fix broken paper shredders, jammed copiers, loose keyboard trays, lift heavy boxes, and other mysterious electronic malfunctions.

Thank you God and job for teaching me humility as I disappoint people and realizing that my knowledge in good wines is actually pretty poor and that my worth does not come from approval from others.

Thank you God and job for helping me grow slowly in my integrity by becoming a person who would interact with the boss and the building janitor in the same manner.

Thank you God and job for helping me take myself less seriously. While I used to cringe inside whenever I had to wheel the noisy cart full of groceries or beer past a conference room full of important people, thinking about how ridiculous I looked and instead trying to pull the cart in all manner of ways that would make it look least like a grocery cart and more like um.. something more graceful than a grocery cart, I now could care less as heads turn and I just push the darn cart in all of its grocery-and-beer-exploding-grocery-cart-looking-glory.

One more year, here I come!!!

But, honestly, after that it’s quits. Seriously. If you hear talk of a year three I give you permission to call up, pretend like you’re me and quit for me. Friends don’t let friends… you know.