April's Happiness Project: Work Part 2

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck

The month of April has been overwhelming. Between work, school, baseball, first communion, cub scouts, and daily living...I haven't found the time or energy to blog. This will change. I get great pleasure out of writing and have decided I must find the time to do so.

That being said; I will finish Part II of April's Happiness Project post since there is only one day left in the month! The answer to the question I left off with, "Am I passionate about my job?" is yes....and no. I do not find fulfillment anymore in my work as a caregiver. I enjoy being able to help and care for the people I have worked with, and I have enjoyed many heartfelt conversations with my clients. However, it is increasingly difficult to carry the burden of someone else's stresses when I have my own at home. I genuinely care for my clients and (most of the time) enjoy working for them...but I need change. My job consist of the same thing day in and day out...and to say the least is has become monotonous.

That being said, my week is tempered with my enjoyment of teaching. Working with the Kindergartners IS ever changing and has been a very fulfilling journey that I embarked on last September. My solution to being only half passionate about my work is this: I will continue my job as Personal Care Aide until the beginning of the next school year, at which time I will throw myself whole-heartily into my work as teacher. I intend to make the most out of my numbered days with the client I am currently caring for. I will thank God for every day he has given me the ability to work, and I won't begrudge the monotony because the end is in sight.

Now, I also intend to write whole-heartily. I look forward to continuing this memoir I started once upon a time. I welcome you to join me on my journey.

Happy days to all,

Gina

April's Happiness Project: Part 1

"Nothing is work, unless you'd rather be doing something else."

For the month of April, the Happiness Project focuses on work. I know I'm a little late in posting this since April is halfway over, but I figured better late than never. When I thought about my work life I considered it best to divide it into three categories: my paying job as a Personal Care Aide for Arcadia Health Care, my volunteer job as Kindergarten teacher at St. Mary's Academy and my God-given job as caretaker of my home.

As I read the book (The Happiness Project), much of the focus was on working at what you are passionate about. I dug up old photos of myself working at a job where I was completely passionate about what I was doing. When I worked for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources I can honestly say I was in love with my job. I was passionate about being in the great outdoors, in the wide open spaces, given a job to do but being essentially my own boss. I thrived on the thrill of the unknown. What was going to happen today? Where was I going to be sent now? What beautiful essence of nature was I destined to stumble upon tomorrow?

Although, I loved my job, there was always the unspoken knowledge that it wasn't permanent. In the back of my mind I knew one day I would have a family and this job wouldn't be practical anymore.

Therefore, when I had my first child (actually 8 months previous to that marvelous event) my exciting career as a wild land firefighter ended. My new "career" began. I was a mom. This, I thought, was my life's work. I, as much as my husband, desired for me to stay at home to raise our children. To the outsider, it may have appeared that I had given up my dreams...but to me, they had just begun. I thought I would be a stay-at-home mother until my last child was graduated from high school (because I intended on home-schooling), then I would see the world and retire as the fun grandmother who took her grandchildren on nature hikes and then out to ice cream. Those were my plans. God, however, had other ideas.

When God's plans brought me to a point where I had to look for a job, I had been out of the work place for 8 years. I had an Associates Degree, but no direction. The only thing I looked for in a job was something that had flexible hours, allowed me the most time with my children as possible and didn't require dressing up, selling stuff, driving in rush hour traffic, talking on the phone or cooking greasy food (Lord knows I have a history of burning my own food). That's all! I didn't even begin to know where to look. So I went to school to become a paralegal. Besides, I could have used all the legal help I could get at that point. After three quarters, I realized the future of this job would require long office hours and being a virtual slave to lawyers.  No thanks. So what did I do? I found a job doing what I did best....cleaning house, feeding others, running errands etc, etc. I felt comfortable as a home-caregiver. I was earning an income and didn't have to step out of my comfort zone. But am I passionate about it?