That Familiar Change

No more close calls with security.


Thanks to the persistence of very dear friends, I have obtained a job through the traditional means of a bona fide interview.  Scheduled and approved by the employer, I was expected and accepted on company grounds. 


They asked me questions like, "How did you get here?" but in the figurative rather than literal sense.  


"How soon can you start?" rather than how soon could I move my unemployed rear off the premises.  


It felt so nice.  I'd been so nervous getting dressed that morning, but in a strange way.  Blow-drying my hair, carefully applying not-too-much makeup, pinning my shirt to my underwear so as not to come untucked...it all felt just a little desperate.  


I know I shouldn't have felt that way.  But it was different from interviewing back at the end of school.  Back then, it was all just innocent hopefulness.  We were young, somewhat educated, and ready to attack the working world.  We didn't know anything, really, and companies knew that.


Interviewing after being in the workforce, now that's another animal.  The playing field is no longer level.  Suddenly I am nervous about my experience.  Yeah, I've learned tons.  But has it been the right stuff?  For 4.5 years now my peers have been accumulating work experience, too, and what if theirs is all the right stuff?  


What is causing the silence behind all of my resume submissions?  What is it about my experience that makes people so bored that they'll even turn down dozens of cookies and a big fat smile?


I know, I know, nobody wins with such a weenie, victim-like attitude.  I certainly didn't carry that into the interview room.  I just wanted to say it out loud this once, because I think it's a very real & pervasive experience.  


So yes, I felt nervous that morning, but there are no nerves allowed once those heels are put on. I grow several inches taller with those patent-leather beauties, and so does my ego.  Shoulders back, hair sprayed into place, I was a black & blue bastion of brilliance!


Beyond getting the job, our little trip to Austin was a satisfying one.  We stayed with Nichole and Clay, the same dear friends behind my getting the interview in the first place, and it was awesome.  Brendon and Clay worked on some suddenly needed plumbing repairs while Nichole and I sat outside on their back patio with a bit of Cabernet.  Well done, boys!

The enormous oaks in their back yard rustled a little as the breeze fluttered across the branches.  The sun slid down, and we could feel just the slightest twinge of temperature changes, that first peek into fall.  Maybe it's because we're September babies, maybe it's because we've begun so many semesters of school together, but we both love this time of year.  


I know all the seasons bring change, but the advent of autumn just seems to promise something sweeter and warmer.  Perhaps because pumpkin pie is on the back of everyone's mind!  Ha ha, no, I think it's a little more than that.  I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but as Brendon and I stood in the middle of that house on Tuesday and told our realtor that it was the one, I know we both felt it.  

Things are changing, life is moving forward, and soon everything will be just a little bit different.  We put on the same clothes but have a different experience.  We visit the same people and talk about new things.  We go through the seasons, and each time we"re a little older and hopefully a little more equipped for life.  


Life is change, and I do love it.