Warning: this will not be a very eloquently written post. It will be hogwash and jibber-jabbery gibberish. It is not perfect, but it is about God.
Sometimes He sneaks up on you. Sometimes, every so often, life will get so overwhelming, or monotonous, or same-ol' same-ol' that you'll find yourself with blinders on to the world around you (and His hand in the world around you). Sometimes you won't notice it until you find yourself with a not-so-subtle palm to the forehead - only it's not yours, it's His.
I've been working at Macy's now as a lowly sales associate in the Home department since October of 2011. I thank God each and every day that I have to drag myself out of bed for my over-an-hour-commute to my job in the next state over because, as draining as being gone for 12+ hours a day is, I have been able to make my college loan payments every month since they've begun. I got my job in October working morning and afternoon shifts, while my then-fiance got a job working nights. We got married in November, and with these two jobs balanced together we have not had a whole lot of time just to spend with one another. We've had enough time, but not a lot.
After I had established that I could make juuuuust enough money each month to cover my loans, and my bus pass to get to work to get the money to cover my loans, and my (relatively small) phone bill, I settled into the routine. Then I began to tire of the routine. Now, here in January of the new year, I have gotten very tired of the routine. Without the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers, there's no distraction at work. There is just a lot of time standing around, rearranging china or blankets or coffee makers, and waiting to do nothing. I've been putting out applications now only for writing jobs, and for something I've been describing to myself as "any job closer to home, or that pays better, or both. Preferably both."
I make 8.00 an hour. My husband, working nights, makes 11.20. His place of work is roughly 20 minutes away from home. While I have never been very good at staying up for long hours without sleep, I found myself doing something that I would have never, ever imagined myself doing - I began dreaming of a night job, working the same job as my husband at the same place. I not-so-jokingly told him to mention me to his boss, which he did. Then someone quit. He mentioned me again, and I re-applied (re, only because I applied to everywhere under the sun before getting my current job at Macy's). A few days went by and I found myself thinking more and more frequently as I wandered the tile floor at work how much I wanted out of the job at Macy's - I was still eternally grateful for it, but I was wishing for a closer-to-home life. The day after, I received a call from the hiring manager at my husband's place of work, and I was offered an interview.
Without fully realizing what was happening, without fully hoping or praying for a direct change, I suddenly find myself at the threshold of a possible new chapter. If I did get this job I would be working the same shift as my husband, at the same place. We could carpool. This would eliminate the need to buy a bus pass, and help each of us with gas money as the price of gas rises dramatically. I would be making more money and be required to spend less. I could, on occasion, even pay more than the minimum on my college loans and in doing so maybe pay them off in less than 24 years. I could spend time with my husband. I could start the process of preparing to get a kitten. I could find time to write - I could find a balance between my needed-for-money-job, and the building blocks of my writing career. If someone had told me even three months ago that I would be daydreaming of a night job today, I would not have believed them.
I am daydreaming of a night job.
I am thanking God for this chance at a, possibly wonderful, change of pace.
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