My normally scheduled vacation blogs are being interrupted by this last night of not being a grown up blog. Tomorrow I rejoin the workforce as a grown-up, where I'll most likely stay until I'm in my 70's or dead. Kind of weird to say and to think but it's the truth.
I feel so lucky that Jason and I had the opportunity to spend a whole month in Europe. I think it was vital for us. That's just not something people have much opportunity to do. Sure we're broke right now... but soon I'll start making some money and Jason will return to his school year and his paychecks will come in and we'll pay off our trip and start paying back my student loans. Really, we only live once, right? I'm glad I won't look back and regret not taking that time for us.
If you remember, I took a job at a small skilled nursing facility in the small town we live in. I think it will be fine. My biggest concern is my mother-in-law works there occasionally (doing hair) and it's in this small town. BUT, I will overcome it, put in my time and one of two thing will happen. I'll either love it and never want to leave or I'll spend the extra time I have from working so close to home on getting my ATP (assistive technology provider) and start looking for a job in seating and positioning as I dream of now. Either way, this plan was NOT my plan. As many of you know I struggled with making the decision to work here but the all signs kept pointing to it. God has a plan, I'm not sure of why or how but this is part of it.... so I will accept it, do my best and continue to try and keep my mind and spirit open to his plan.
It is exciting to start a new job, it's exciting to get to use my credential OTD, OTR/L. I'm also really looking forward to helping people, learning how things work at this facility and living a somewhat normal life with my husband and pets. :) I'm not looking forward to how small of a facility it is and how "nursing home" the facility is currently (I say currently because they plan on turning it a rehab). I love the idea of helping people return home... I struggle with the idea of therapy for end of life nursing home stays. That's not to say that they can't benefit I just struggle with the idea in my head. Now that I've said that I hope others won't think less of me. I absolutely value end of life care and am not minimizing the need for care or the fact that I love geriatric individuals.. it's just something that is passing through my mind the night before starting this job.
Sooooo tomorrows the big day. I'm kind of looking forward to it and I'm kind of dreading the lack of freedom. I start earning vacation days immediately but can't take any until after 6 months of employment and I don't have sick day accruals until after my 90 day probationary period. I think that kind of sucks. My next job I'm negotiate in sick time from the start. I mean I'm not sick right now but sickness happens, dr. appointments, emergencies, whatever and without it I'm just stuck without pay.
Next time I blog I will be a fully employed working occupational therapist. Crazy to think those 3 years of schooling are over and this is it... time for the real world again. Weird!
Anyway, Happy 4th of July!!! I hope you had an amazing holiday and took some timeout to think about what a great country we live in. :) Minus the fact we have a crazy lack of care for our working people... but I won't go there. Thank you to all the service men and woman and for our freedoms.
Good luck on your first day, baby! I know the path of our life hasn't always taken us exactly where we thought it would from time to time, but the way they always seem to work out for the best is the greatest of all – it's like there really is a cosmic plan for us that we simply haven't quite figured out yet! And, after all, that plan took us half-way around the world on the adventure of a lifetime, so it can't be that bad, right? :D
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