Five Years in the Making

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but back in April I hit a milestone in my professional career. For the first time ever, I have worked at the same place for five years. This is quite a milestone for me for many reasons.

As you may recall, I was actually laid off from work back in the fall, but was very blessed to only be out of work for one week and rather than being out of a job was instead transferred to another division within the company. I had to take a pay cut and go back to the same position I started in, but I am not complaining because I feel so lucky and blessed beyond measure to actually have a job; some people that were laid off the same day as me are still without a job. So, since I was able to transfer to the other division, all my time, vacation, sick, etc. transferred over as well and as of April 09, I have worked for the same employer for five years.

I started working when I was 16, as a cashier at Winn-Dixie and since that time, I have held a plethora of jobs - everything from working for a US Congressman to stocking shelves at a grocery store. I've worked in sports media relations, been a writer for various media outlets, worked security for a Senior PGA tournament (Seriously, who's going to be afraid of me?) and been an after-school sitter for a couple of rowdy kids. I've worked at K-Mart (also as a cashier), waited too many tables to count at three different restaurants, worked as a bar tender in a fraternity house and did some time in the shoe department at Wal-Mart. In college I held down a job at the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library where I may or may not have been captured sleeping on a sofa in the University of Alabama yearbook. I've worked as a receptionist, a bookkeeper, a photographer's assistant,  a United States Census worker and a youth intern at a church. I think it goes without saying that I have had more jobs than I can count - maybe with the help of my friends and family I could list them all, but I seriously doubt it. To say making it five years at one company (can't really say one job) is a milestone is perhaps the understatement of the century.

What can I say? I get bored easily and I like to keep an active mind and I'm constantly thinking about the next job or the next step, or at least I used to. Thankfully, the older I get the more my mind settles down. Do I still have dreams of owning a bakery or a catering company or winning the lottery and moving to France. You can bet your bottom dollar I do, and maybe one day I'll brave the trepidation and anxiety I feel and give it a go and then again maybe I won't. Some people think I should be doing something bigger and better with my life making mad amounts of money; but you know what, that's not really for me. Would I like to have more money, sure who wouldn't? For me, though, money does not make the world go 'round. I have a good life and do not want for anything, which is a lot more than some people can say. If I leave this earth without fortune and fame, so be it.

So, back to working at the same place for five years.... I do a good job at work and feel confident that I will be moved up again soon. It will come when it is supposed to and that's just fine by me. With my five year milestone, I also hit three weeks a year of vacation, which makes a huge difference. I like the people I work with and I do not dread going in to work each day as I have with other jobs. That's not to say that one day I may look for something else, but right now, I am quite content and sometimes contentment is exactly what you need in life.

I brought all this up, three months after the fact, because today, my five years of service at my company was celebrated with cake and sodas. What more could you ask for? All the employees who hit milestones last quarter at the company were celebrated today. I was the first name called, which of course made me laugh because laughing is my favorite. My supervisor said, "speech, speech," so I thanked the HR guy who hired me. I asked him to come and he did and he is one of my favorite people at work. It was a funny moment.

The gal I share a cubicle with had also been invited, but she and I thought she had been invited for moral support or something but as it turns out, it was her service award day too. She has been working for the company for 25 years and will now be privileged to receive one of the up close parking spaces, she also got $150 from the company - nice! We got a good laugh out of that because first of all she didn't know it was her 25-year award and secondly there is no telling how many weeks or months she has been walking a long distance to her car when she could be parked up close. We did a lot of laughing this afternoon - I think it was the sugar. For five years of service, I also received a $10 voucher for our cafeteria and a free pizza from Papa Murphy's, which doesn't do you much good when you are not eating dairy. I'm also not a fan of Papa Murphy's; but, it was still nice and maybe my parents will become the recipients of the free Papa Murphy's pizza.

Five years - quite a milestone for me. Here's to making it at least five more!