it’s official
i have a new job.
as of august 3, i will be a federal employee with the national institutes of health.
reaching this decision was one of the more stressful times in my life — thinking, rethinking, deciding, changing my mind, thinking again — in fact, i was occupied with nothing other than this for the past few weeks.
somewhere in all of my thinking, i started reflecting on my professional journey and wondering how i ended up here.
when i was a child, there were four things i wanted to be when i grew up — a veterinarian, a teacher, an astronaut and an architect.
needless to say, i am not any of these, but that’s not what interests me. what interests me, is that i see pieces of each of these occupations reflected in my life.
- veterinarian — this one’s easy. every job i’ve had since the age of 14 has been animal-related — pet store cashier, veterinary receptionist, veterinary technician, veterinary hospital director, animal technologist, animal program coordinator — see the trend? animals have been a constant in my life for as long as i can remember.
- teacher — in my day, i was both a training coordinator and a facility trainer, and i absolutely love sharing my knowledge with other people. the look of “wow, i understand!” is priceless, and worth all of the time and patience it takes to get to that point. most of the time.
- astronaut — this one’s a little more abstract. the 1986 challenger tragedy pretty much ended my aspirations of becoming an astronaut. however, i never lost my interest in space. i know the phases of the moon. i watch the shuttle launches. i follow NASA on twitter. i read books by people like carl sagan and stephen hawking. and i know i will always be in awe of the universe and our constant struggle to make sense of it all.
- architect – someone else described it best, i am a “see-er”. i find peace in things that are aesthetic and i strive to create that same kind of order in my writing, my photography and my design. i feel it all around me, i hear it in music, i see it in nature. i may not design structures or spaces, but i am driven to create.
old job and new job aside, when i look at things this way, i may not be where i thought i would be, but i seem to be exactly where i should be — surrounded by things that inspire, fulfill, challenge and delight.
things that aren’t specific to a particular career or job, things that are specific to me, my mind, my life.
a life of parts that make a whole.
congratulations!
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