[Sometimes when I type words like "favorite," I want to type them as"favourite" to be British and classy.]
When I took the position of Nanny, I was so ecstatic that I couldn't think straight. When the initial excitement wore off to the point that my brain worked again, I realized that even a live-in nanny position would not pay my way through grad school or even through life as it currently is presenting itself. So I started applying for part-time evening and weekend positions with the hope that I would be able to find something to help me pay for my school books and health insurance while also allowing me time to study and truly experience life as it happens over the next year.
Most of the places I applied were coffee shops and hotels. If I was going to work in an industry non-human services related, I wanted to work in one of these places. I have a caffeine-driven draw to coffeehouses and a strange, inexplicable, and weirdly romanticized fascination with the business of hospitality. When I interviewed last Friday with the assistant manager of a local inn, I was honest in explaining that I have absolutely no experience in the hotel industry, only plan to work this part-time job through grad school, and would really like to be able to do homework on-the-job.
This evening, the assistant manager called and offered me the position. I figured it was a sign since I'm highly underqualified, and of course said Yes immediately. It's a part-time, weekend overnight auditing job, which means I will generally be dealing with the hotel accounts and inebriated guests from behind the front desk, but I'm actually pretty okay with that. There will be time for homework and it won't interfere with my being Nanny, since it is a weekend-only gig. I will certainly miss having weekends free to hop in the Jeep and drive to my family's neck of the woods or grab a Friday night glass of sangria with friends, but I am grateful for an opportunity to broaden my horizons and outsmart my insomnia by getting paid to be awake at 3 a.m.
One of my friends told me that I need to be using this time of my life to relax. I think I am starting to learn that relaxation sometimes has to be a frame of mind and spirit rather than a state of physical motion. As a single woman, I have to work in order to survive - that's the way of the world. However, just because I'm working doesn't mean I have to live like the stressed-out, burned-out, zombie-like creature that I was a month ago. My prayer is that having two jobs that total 40 hours a week and allow me time to really grow, learn, and rediscover my interests and passions will allow for a much more relaxed Me than one job that had me with clients, behind a computer screen, or buried in paperwork for nearly 70 hours a week and left me in a near-constant state of anxiety.
If it doesn't work, I can always say Yes to something different. Right now, I'm ready to take on this challenge with a spirit of adventure, the hope of success, and the 14 cups of coffee I will need to make it through my first weekend.
When I took the position of Nanny, I was so ecstatic that I couldn't think straight. When the initial excitement wore off to the point that my brain worked again, I realized that even a live-in nanny position would not pay my way through grad school or even through life as it currently is presenting itself. So I started applying for part-time evening and weekend positions with the hope that I would be able to find something to help me pay for my school books and health insurance while also allowing me time to study and truly experience life as it happens over the next year.
Most of the places I applied were coffee shops and hotels. If I was going to work in an industry non-human services related, I wanted to work in one of these places. I have a caffeine-driven draw to coffeehouses and a strange, inexplicable, and weirdly romanticized fascination with the business of hospitality. When I interviewed last Friday with the assistant manager of a local inn, I was honest in explaining that I have absolutely no experience in the hotel industry, only plan to work this part-time job through grad school, and would really like to be able to do homework on-the-job.
This evening, the assistant manager called and offered me the position. I figured it was a sign since I'm highly underqualified, and of course said Yes immediately. It's a part-time, weekend overnight auditing job, which means I will generally be dealing with the hotel accounts and inebriated guests from behind the front desk, but I'm actually pretty okay with that. There will be time for homework and it won't interfere with my being Nanny, since it is a weekend-only gig. I will certainly miss having weekends free to hop in the Jeep and drive to my family's neck of the woods or grab a Friday night glass of sangria with friends, but I am grateful for an opportunity to broaden my horizons and outsmart my insomnia by getting paid to be awake at 3 a.m.
One of my friends told me that I need to be using this time of my life to relax. I think I am starting to learn that relaxation sometimes has to be a frame of mind and spirit rather than a state of physical motion. As a single woman, I have to work in order to survive - that's the way of the world. However, just because I'm working doesn't mean I have to live like the stressed-out, burned-out, zombie-like creature that I was a month ago. My prayer is that having two jobs that total 40 hours a week and allow me time to really grow, learn, and rediscover my interests and passions will allow for a much more relaxed Me than one job that had me with clients, behind a computer screen, or buried in paperwork for nearly 70 hours a week and left me in a near-constant state of anxiety.
If it doesn't work, I can always say Yes to something different. Right now, I'm ready to take on this challenge with a spirit of adventure, the hope of success, and the 14 cups of coffee I will need to make it through my first weekend.
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