never thought that doing temp work would or could exhaust me as much as it has! I just finished an almost 3 month assignment at an insurance agency and the ending is bittersweet.I have gone through 2 sets of employees...helped train the second set...became friends with all of them...learned a lot about insurance...and about the kind of employer I don't want. It's actually a plus to temp first to really get a good feel for the politics and personalities of a business before joining. But in this economy, it's kind of a draw-back as well. I could have easily stepped into the job full-time (I was asked on several occasions), but how could I work for someone who I feel is less than honorable? So, being who I am, I chose to continue my search for a happy work place.
I did have the good fortune to have an interview with the general manager of two of the local hotels here and he and the other managers I met were enthusiastic to have me on board...providing a position appears for me. Yep, I am seriously considering returning to the hotel industry. My hope is that things have changed a bit since the 80's and that working for a small corporation (vs the mammoth Marriott I slaved for all those years ago) would suit me better. And I hate to admit it, but I am getting older and I have less energy than I did when I was in my 20's. Go figure.
Santa Fe is still appealing although I cannot commit to saying that I will stay here for a long time...whatever "long" means. It is very hard to be so far away from water (Santa Barbara), lush green (Ashland) and especially my daughter (back to SB, at the moment). But the afternoon thunderstorms are truly amazing. I sit on my portal (or porch in the rest of the US) and watch it all like a play: bright, loud and magnificent on a regular basis. Although she doesn't really like it, Buttercup is adjusting to the noise of it all. The cat, Taz, could care less either way!
It is a curious thing to downsize so much at my age and I have flashbacks to being in my 20's (perhaps that's why I expect to have that same energy level) and feel like I am truly starting all over again in just about every way. New town, new people, new job, no boyfriend,mediocre apartment, few belongings (OK, fewER) and not really knowing what I am going to do when I grow up. So that can make for days that feel scary, lonely, confusing and a bit desperate. But I keep on hanging on. In the end, it is better than staying stagnant in the same place wondering "what if?". I am exploring "what if" and I know it will take me to interesting places.
And I guess that bring me back to sitting here, in front of my computer, wondering what else I can contribute here...which doesn't feel like much. But if nothing else, I'm just letting you know that I am not missing in action.
