RouletteWeekend

Well, it finally happened. I found a new job. I’m not sure if I’ve broken any records for the most jobs ever had by one person in a lifetime, but sometimes it sure feels that way. I haven’t blogged much about the few jobs I’ve had since I moved to the beach. The first one was at a timeshare resort. I think I made it about 6 months. The manager was a very pushy little lady who had no respect for the people she worked with. She was one of those supervisors who thought that “title” actually meant something and wanted to look down on anyone who was not her “rank” or above. It might have been a cultural thing. She was possibly from a country who still uses the caste system. I’m not 100% sure about that so I didn’t really take it all that personal until her “better than” attitude started affecting my schedule and our agreed upon days off. When she told me last year that I would “have” to work the week of Christmas even though she and the general manager told me I wouldn’t when I got hired because I told them my kids were coming to town, I tried to reason with her but she refused to hear the words I was saying. She finally heard what I was saying when ultimately I said, “well then, I guess I quit.”

The second job was at a local restaurant that has been in business for years. Again, it was being run by a manager who must have never “felt” important before getting a big “title” like general manager in front of his name. So, he totally took advantage of the fact that I could (and would) do most of his job for him without complaint. And I did, again, for six months I suffered through a job that I originally liked when I first started out. I think most of what I liked about that job was the actual owner of the restaurant and one of the long time employees. But liking two people doesn’t make everything else that was wrong at the place worth tolerating. My health started to decline. Most days were spent walking up and down the stairs, I lost feeling in my left foot and my right hand started losing circulation and feeling tingly all the time not to mention the increase in panic attacks. The long time employee who I really liked said once that every manager that had worked there in the 30+ years she had been around ended up dying either by accident or disease. That was around the time I started to rethink my career choice.

I had a therapist once tell me that the main thing that all my bad relationships had in common was me. At the time he said it, I was very much insulted. After pondering it for a while, I realized he was on to something. And it bled over into my work life. I always end up at places who “desperately” need help and I think I can “fix” things like I used to think I could “fix” my boyfriends. I never dated anyone because they were “good” for me. I was always the one who was good for them. The girlfriend that the parents always liked. The one that eventually “got away.” And it turned out that I also picked damaged jobs. Places that were barely afloat or being run by drug addicts or narcissists and then I would let it stress me to the point of having a panic attack in my car while pulled over on the side of the road.

They say identifying you have a problem is the first step in fixing it. So I took a couple months off from working and when I finally said it was time to start looking again, I didn’t want to make the same mistake. I looked around at jobs and if it wasn’t a “hell yes,” it became a “no.” Then I went to a Halloween party this past weekend and met a girl who worked as a “dock hand” at a local yacht club and she was talking about how much she enjoyed it. I gave her my number and asked her to call me if they were ever hiring. On Tuesday, her boss called and asked if I would like to come in and interview for a position. I immediately jumped at the opportunity. It’s only a part time job and it will basically require me working every weekend, but that will give me time to find other gigs I can do and to work on some of my side projects like my end of the year wellness group that I’m doing with three of my gal pals.

Yesterday was my first day at the dock and it was a really good one. It was super cold yesterday, and the job entails being outside a good bit, but I didn’t mind it at all. I loved all the walking. I loved that you get to talk to people. The guy in charge is a normal down to earth guy who has had way more “important” jobs in the past and he’s just a decent guy to be around. The place runs the way it runs. They don’t need “fixed.” It’s a non-profit and a fairly well oiled machine so I think this one may just last. And, to top it all off, I will get endless knowledge about boats and get to be around people who are doing what I eventually want to do… travel the world on a boat!

Pretty cool, right?