Sunday Stories
Sometimes the toughest story is your own.
I seem to have a lot of friends in overwhelm right now. Surgeries, colds, new roofs, family problems, and, for me, an escalating job quest that is just days from reaching its one year anniversary. A thousand things seem to be short-circuiting simultaneously. And then a friend asked, “Why am I so stressed?” That they were asking about themselves didn’t stop the question from slamming me right between the eyes.
And then, while I was pondering that, I attended a networking session with some very high-level people in my day-job field of project management. These are guys that I’m still a little awed to sit down at the table with. Their question this month, “With all of the great possibilities, what are we doing to make the best of it for ourselves and our customers?”
“Right!” Slapping self on forehead. Look ahead. Got to remember that.
- The job hunt hasn’t been a long dreary year of frustration, it is a possibility of something wonderful happening this week.
- My writing is on hold for a month while I get a professional certification to help my job hunt. But I’m doing it to simplify my number of goals to study a topic that fascinates me and will ultimately make me a greater asset to anyone smart enough to hire me.
- The high-level project managers, the guys I want to grow up to be, are kicking my butt to think more of myself, not less. They’ve taken me under their wing because they see I’m fascinated and engaged in what I do, and they have the same passion.
And when I really hit rock bottom, my wife wraps her arms around me and says, “It hurts because it is going back out, and she’s right.” All the crap and trials and challenges that have so impacted my last year, are going away. I have multiple interviews this week for very good positions. I have networking events, lunches, and a new career counselor who is seriously kick butt. I’m now well into the 2nd of 4 books I have to read for my next certification. And I’ve got a story idea that’s just cookin’! in my brain for the first moment after I get that certification.
And I’ve got a lady beside me who has ridden all the ups, and all the downs. Sometimes she makes it hard to feel too overwhelmed. She just keeps making me feel it’ll all work out.
Guess what? It will.
You have no idea how lucky you are. It is a rare woman who can understand what a man goes through, not only when he is seeking work, but also what he experiences in a job, and how tremendous the load of provider is. Cherish that… I’m sure I do not need to tell you a thing. The way you write about your wife is lovely. It’s a rare man who can see the depth of consolation and sharing, and caring, and bearing that a woman does in a family.
Though we are actually co-providers, I am well aware of how lucky I am. A fact that frequently startles me.