Here’s something that happened over the month that may inspire you, or maybe it won’t.
But because I ‘graduated’ on a high, I am grateful for all these wonderful experiences, some of which were (wonderfully) challenging ones, I think it deserves a space to be shared.
Between you (the reader) and me, I have had more than just the occasional close friend confess to me their secret desire for a dream job – one that is repetitive, and unlike their current aesthetically creative one. And of course they only volunteered that information because I did too.
Many of us started out craving for that songwriting job, those opportunities to grow our love and craftsmanship for the artistic. By that, i mean becoming a singer, a singer-songwriter, etc. You get the picture. But I have always seen creativity unlimited. It occurs anywhere. As long as you welcome it. If for any reason you decide to shut that off from your system, you could too.
Cutting to the chase, I took the plunge, I’m infamous of being a risk-taker, taking the lesser-travelled path – nabbed 2 job offers, by the Grace of God, and took the one that offered less demanding timing whilst I sustained by music career. I wasn’t sure which was supporting which after a while, they seemed equally healthy in contributing to our state of finances as well as our mental and emotional health. Both of which job offers had really great environments. Perhaps it was just me. But i was thankful in both cases. Perhaps my only ‘fall’ was also ironically the criteria in which i first picked the job. Time. If you ever decide to pick a career, or a career part 2 as I did and will continue to do so, my advice is to know exactly your reasons for doing so. From which then your criteria.
All my dearest friends tease me for my simple, undying love for a cup of bubble tea goodness. And there I was, succumbing to all my curiosities alas! And an amazing wealth of information I’d learnt from kitchen work, to counter work, from stock-taking to taking orders, from working solo as a leader, to working as a team member. All good things have to come to an end, but I just cannot imagine if I never took the plunge. This new environment not only provided new perspective, but I met some amazing folks. I saw leadership in service daily in action with my boss, it was humbling and just awe-some. I saw a young chap who trained better than someone older and more skilled than him. I saw a world that needed to know Love for their dreams were just an atmospheric level toooo low. I had the opportunity to share my friendship, my linguistic skills, and the Grace of God that is evident in my own life story. And yes, it was mind-blowing, working at lightning speed, whilst dealing with intricate customisations in a drink. Whilst working with colleagues who may or may not care about your progress as a trainee. After a decade and a half of not working for someone else, and with a team (where i’m not leading, a band or a class) i think i really did pretty well. I walked away feeling like i graduated from the school of hard knocks. Pretty hard ones, some of which are not worth the mention. They are overshadowed by the wows of the job.
Yesterday was the last day of my work. Hey it was Good Friday’s too! I couldn’t have imagined a better timing or a better day to start anew.
There it is, one of the many little adventures that would add to the stories I would come to tell in the stories through my little songs perhaps.
Thank you Lord.
