Blog Post No. 542
Before I get into a strangely emotional little post, I want to thank everyone at CKExpo for being so awesome for my first event in three years! Only one person had a rude comment about my mask, the staff and guests were nice, and Christian was a trooper! I’m looking forward to dipping my toes further into events, hopefully attending some local ones soon!
I’m writing this post on Sunday because it’s the last day in my current position at the day job. Starting on Monday, I’m stepping into a full-time position at the same building. It means more responsibilities and more hours, but it also means benefits and (eventually) a regular schedule. The past six weeks have been really tough as I (along with my two coworkers) worked our regular jobs in an unusually busy time and filled in for the position I’m moving into.
I had applied for the job at several locations, so I had no idea if I would get it, or where I’d be. A couple of weeks ago, I got the call that I’d been accepted, but not where I’d be working or when I’d start. The following week, I was told that I’d be starting May 1st here at my current facility. It was great to hear I got the job and I’m looking forward to the stability that will ultimately come from the position, but the speed at which I got the news along with the already busy schedule made for a hectic time.
I had one week to get ready for the job and no one to show me the ropes since the previous worker had already retired. On top of everything, my two long time coworkers were both leaving at the end of the week. One is taking a promotion at another location, and the other is going to a completely different organization. While I’m really happy for them, I’ve also been struggling with feeling overwhelmed that I have a completely new staff and sad that I won’t be seeing these people day-in and day-out like I have been for the last decade.
Because I’ve been so busy, I’m already really behind on all my writing and editing, and now that I’m starting a new job, I’m not sure how long it will take for me to be proficient enough to have the time and energy to get back into writing. It’s bitter sweet. I’m really stressed over the new job and the change, but it’s ultimately a good thing that I’m finally moving up to a full-time position.
I got pretty emotional last week several times. The lack of sleep and overwhelming feeling of not having enough time were a contributing factor, but I think if I were moving out of the building for the new job, it wouldn’t have hit me so hard. I had to remind myself how this job and place has constantly changed in the time I’ve been here and had done so before I was ever hired. We used to have way more classes, but then we started to get more bookings that meant having classes was more difficult.
Then, some long time bookings ended just in time for more tenants to move in, which made having more bookings and classes more difficult. I may have had the same three coworkers for nearly a decade, but there were other people who came and went and before me were a whole other batch who left. Change is a constant. It just happens whether we want it to or not. Being in a new position in the same place with new people is going to be strange for a long time, but eventually, it will be the way it is. And who’s to say what kind of changes will happen in the future?
Right now I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I’ve been that way many times before and I know, one day (sooner rather than later) all these new things will be old things and I won’t notice until long after the change occurs. The things that are stressing me out will be routine and I’ll have my own systems in place to make sure I’m not missing anything and I’m being efficient. It’s how I cope. I know I’m going to miss my friends for a long time, though. Even though there is nothing stopping us from getting together outside of work, it won’t be the same.
Ben Van Dongen 