Here we find ourselves again, sending out the old and ringing in the new. Counting our blessings and trying to decide what we want to work to improve upon in the coming year.

I can honestly say that all I’ve resolved to do in the last few years is find a new job and get settled in it and attempt to resume a life I never could have imagined would be interrupted. It’s too soon to say where this new job will lead, but it’s a) a job, b) new and c) mine.

Tonight when the clock strikes 12:00 a.m. I will count my blessings and resolve to count them some more. When you’ve worked so hard for so long and hold that elusive “thing” in your hands, everything else is the diaper on the Baby New Year.

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These two “Instructions” have come up on my Life’s Little Instruction Calendar and I wanted to share them with you:

December 22nd:
Change what you can.
Accept what you can’t.
Live peacefully with all that’s left.

December 29th:
This coming year make time for good books, good food, good blogs and good friends.

(OK, I added the “good blog” part and I am hoping my blog falls into the ‘good’ category.)

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I hope you are all having a great holiday and enjoying this week between the chaos of Christmas and the chaos of a New Year.

I’m just taking a little break but I’ll be back strong in 2011, if not before.

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I had been out of work for almost 3 years and now, the day before Christmas Eve, everyone I know – and apparently everyone I don’t know – is home, snuggled in their beds, visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.

I, however, am sitting at my desk drinking my coffee with visions of meetings and events in my head.

Fa, la, la, la, la . . .

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I started my new job a week ago and one of the women in my office is leaving the company tomorrow.

Even though we do totally different jobs, it’s the yin and the yang, the Circle of Life. She’s excited about her new opportunity and seems more than ready to leave my new company. I’m excited about being at this company that she’s so anxious to leave.

The next time you go through a revolving door, look at the people going in the opposite direction of you. They may be headed where you’ve just left or they may have left where you’re headed. And if you keep pushing that door, you just might end up where you started or at the very least where someone else just was.

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You know you’ve been out of work a long time when you go to order office supplies to order a notebook to write things in with a pen and computers come up. Same with tablets.

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I am struggling with a major case of uncomfortableness in the new job and I’m trying to analyze what is going on. Is it just returning to the work force after so much time? Is it the fact that I am, for the first time in my career, not the only Meeting Planner in the company? Have I lost my confidence? Is it because we’re so close to the holidays? Is it because I don’t feel like working at all?

Honestly, I don’t think it’s any of these things and yet I suppose it could be all of these things. The only thing I know for sure, Oprah, is that I GOT the job and these people seem to have their act together so I’m gonna go with the fact that they made a smart, smart choice.

I’ve already got the job. Now it’s time for me to see what they see in me. And prove us all right.

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I received this email today, on my second day of work at my new job:

Dear Sister Rain,

Thank you for your interest in XYZ Medical.

Unfortunately, this email is to inform you that we have filled the Meeting Planner position.

We invite you to revisit our website to view future opportunities that may be of interest to you.

Please accept our best wishes in your career search.

Kind Regards,

Human Resources

For the first time in a long time, it didn’t hurt a bit.

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On my way to my first day on the job I stopped at Wawa for coffee. For those of you who don’t know Wawa, it’s a really great convenience store here in Pennsylvania and other close states.

Anyway, as I was pulling into a parking spot I noticed one woman get out of her car in sneakers and workout pants. Another woman also got out of her car but she was wearing nice pants, heels and looked like she was headed for work.

As I approached the entrance to Wawa, I saw myself in the glass doors. Today for the first time in a long time I didn’t look like the first woman, but the second. And I barely recognized myself.

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Here it is, the Eve before I start my new job. I’ve been saying since I got the offer that I needed to go through my winter work clothes (because it’s been freezing here already oh joy) to see what fits and what I can still wear and now it’s the night before and I’m scrambling. I found a few things and since that will get me through the next few days, I’m setting it aside again. What is wrong with me?

Also, I got a new passport when I worked in the summer for that other company and I need it tomorrow for my new hire paperwork and I can’t find it. Let me explain to you, I can tell you where just about everything my husband and I own (except for his “man stuff”) is in this house and the passport was not in its file. I looked through my files from my old job, I looked everywhere. Finally I looked in the “Jewelry” file which is right before my “Legal” file in my filing cabinet. Again, why am I doing this the night before the big day?

I was a Girl Scout and a mighty good one if I do say myself. I still have my sash (it’s in the attic in the bin marked “Sister Rain’s Childhood”) which is full of badges and I remember giving lots of speeches while I was involved in the organization. And even though it’s the Boy Scout’s Motto, you would think the day I have waited for for three years would not be coming as such as a surprise.

Apparently this former Girl Scout’s Motto is:
“Holy crap! I start a new job tomorrow!”

Now that they know where to find it, they make take away my sash!

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