New Beginnings

If Melanie Griffith could see me now.

After months of stress, anticipation, worry, doubt, tears, anxiety and fear...the impossible happened, I finally got a job!! As I sit in my cozy cubicle on day three of my working adventure, I can’t help but think of the vast working world (and my small role in it) and compare the astounding similarities that occur in each office. Sure, the day-to-day activity is different, but the people aren’t. The reason for the universal popularity of shows such as The Office is that their satirical portrayal of a typical office environment is completely spot on.

Not only have I found comfort in my recognizable “friends” but I have also realized that my work groove is just as easy to maintain now, as it was four months ago. All of the fear I had about remembering how to co-exist in the workplace has completely subsided. True to form, I still uphold my quirk of setting three alarm notifications on my phone (each on an odd number, of course), only to wake up with the first and shut the other two off, my daily morning blog run-through (whether or not I have time to read them at that moment is not the point...I just like to know what is waiting for me), and lastly, my mid-afternoon Diet Coke break. Not all of these are necessarily required to get my work done, but each are a part of a routine that has been created through many days of trial, error and survival and invariably set the tone of any given day. And really, why mess with a good thing?

One of the more interesting aspects of my new employed life has been my time management in the morning. In New York, I had the luxury of a 15 minute door-to-door “commute.” I knew that no matter what, I could get to point A (my tiny apartment) to point B (my awesome building) in that amount of time. There was a sweet comfort in knowing that not one extrapolating factor could hinder my ability to reach my destination in that desired amount of time. Now that I am on Texas soil, there is so much more to think about. Each 5 minute variation in my morning routine can mean a world of difference in my arrival time. Not only is my office inconveniently located 20 miles away, but it is also the home of hundreds (maybe thousands?) of other employees...you can only imagine what the parking situation is like. Think absurd, mixed with a dash of ridiculous. The spaces are tiny, people are blazing over speed bumps and there is little time to remember where you have parked each day, leaving you a careless wanderer at the end of your long workday – nobody wants that.

Needless to say, this old dog is going to have to learn a few new tricks. While it’s not the first job that I know, it’s a new one. I believe that there is a reason that God calls us to a newness in life. Whether it's the desire for dependability on Him or the need for us to grow in ways that we have never thought possible, it has been proven time and time again that with Him, all things are possible. So today I am still. I am no longer in the holding tank of uncertainty, but rather, a clear path that is ready to be discovered. For now, I will cherish the beginning. I believe that the rawness in a fresh start is only a foreshadow of great things to come...and the possibilities are surely endless when He walks next to me (even if it is to-and-from a parking garage).

Love,

Kristen

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
~ Micah 6:8