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    Valkyrie
  • Valkyrie
    • Signature Author
  • 01/31/2018
  • 493 Words
  • 1,698 Views
  • 12 Comments
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Promptings from Valhalla - 22. January 2018 prompt - First Day of Work

This is my response to the January edition of the joint prompt exercises I am completing with Cole Matthews. Please check out his take on the prompt in Dinner is Prompt-ly at Eight.

Prompt: Write about your first day of work at your current job

 

Twelve years ago, I was working two part-time jobs with variable hours and no benefits. I needed a steady paycheck and health insurance, so I applied to the only job in my field that was posted in the paper. I was in a bad place at that time. While I loved one of my jobs, I hated the other one. Just turning down the street in the direction of that job was enough to make my stomach roil with anxiety. I was severely depressed, which added fuel to an already bad situation. Something needed to change, so I accepted the job offer with a mixture of trepidation and hope.

While it was a relief to quit the job I hated, I felt that leaving there constituted a failure on my part. My passion was working with people with neurogenic disorders such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. On paper, the job I hated was my dream job. I never anticipated it turning into such a nightmare. Taking this new job meant a departure from that passion, and one I felt was a step down.

I started the week of Thanksgiving, so the person who was supposed to train me was on vacation. I spent the day reviewing charts, copying treatment plans, and completing new employee paperwork. It was a vast change of pace from the environment I had left, where every hour needed to be accounted for and productivity was king. I finished my tasks well before the end of the day and was left bored and scrounging for things to do.

The highlight of my day was an interaction with an individual I have since come to know quite well. A staff member approached me and introduced herself and asked if I would please come meet Marie since she had been talking about me nonstop since I was hired. I, of course, said yes and followed her to meet this individual. When I entered the room, she immediately walked up to me and introduced herself. “Are you the new speech therapist?” she asked. When I said yes, she grinned and replied “I’m so excited to work with you. When are you going to see me?”

It warmed my heart to see how much the individuals on my caseload were looking forward to working with me. After the exchange with Marie, I was surrounded by individuals asking me questions about myself and if I was going to see them for speech. I felt less trepidation and more positive about my job change after that.

Despite my new optimism, I still viewed the job as temporary. My plan was to look for full time work in a skilled nursing facility and leave as soon as I found one. I figured I wouldn’t be there for a full year. Twelve years later I’m still there with no regrets.

I've learned a lot in the past twelve years working with people with developmental disabilities.  It's been nice revisiting how it all started.  Comments and reactions are all appreciated. :) 
Copyright © 2018 Valkyrie; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Cole Matthews

Our fictional tales are interwoven with real life experiences.  This exercise was telling, because it gives us another facet of your perspective.  A lot of times, we don't really know what we want most.  We believe the stories we tell ourselves about what we want and don't.  Then fate has a way of gently nudging us toward what we most need, to our own surprise and astonishment.  I loved this vignette of your life.  Thank you for sharing it with us.  

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deville

Often what we regard as a failure , a disappointment or a step down , becomes one of our greatest triumphs and a cornerstone of the foundation of our futures. Thank you for sharing . A fantastic little tale. 

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Valkyrie
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15 hours ago, Cole Matthews said:

Our fictional tales are interwoven with real life experiences.  This exercise was telling, because it gives us another facet of your perspective.  A lot of times, we don't really know what we want most.  We believe the stories we tell ourselves about what we want and don't.  Then fate has a way of gently nudging us toward what we most need, to our own surprise and astonishment.  I loved this vignette of your life.  Thank you for sharing it with us.  

You are quite right.  Life tends to shove us in the direction we need to go, whether we want to or not.  Thanks for commenting. :)  :hug: 

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Valkyrie
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12 hours ago, deville said:

Often what we regard as a failure , a disappointment or a step down , becomes one of our greatest triumphs and a cornerstone of the foundation of our futures. Thank you for sharing . A fantastic little tale. 

Thanks so much.  My perspective has changed quite a bit over the past twelve years.  I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.  :)  

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Puppilull

Even though taking a job as an escape isn't perhaps how you like things to go, it can be a lucky strike. I left my lawyer job, after being more or less screwed over by people I regarded as trusted colleagues. Going to work for the government sounded less sexy, but now I've been there close to nine years and I have grown a lot, both as a person and as a legal professional. So, escape can lead to good things. 

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Valkyrie
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8 minutes ago, Puppilull said:

Even though taking a job as an escape isn't perhaps how you like things to go, it can be a lucky strike. I left my lawyer job, after being more or less screwed over by people I regarded as trusted colleagues. Going to work for the government sounded less sexy, but now I've been there close to nine years and I have grown a lot, both as a person and as a legal professional. So, escape can lead to good things. 

:yes: Most definitely.  

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19 hours ago, deville said:

Often what we regard as a failure , a disappointment or a step down , becomes one of our greatest triumphs and a cornerstone of the foundation of our futures.

That seems to fit my homelessness more than any jobs I’ve had. I learned more during that period than probably any other time in my life! It certainly reinforced my [pointedly unmentioned] political beliefs!  ;-)

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Valkyrie
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5 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

That seems to fit my homelessness more than any jobs I’ve had. I learned more during that period than probably any other time in my life! It certainly reinforced my [pointedly unmentioned] political beliefs!  ;-)

Adversity seems to be necessary to learn some lessons.  Thanks for commenting. :) 

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Defiance19

This resonates for me in terms of career choice. I was dead set on Forensic Psychology until my advisor strongly suggested that I did not have the constitution for the job and what it would take. So devastating. Education wasn’t my chosen field, but it is where my heart lies. 

We just never know. Some disappointments are blessings in disguise.  

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Valkyrie
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2 minutes ago, Defiance19 said:

This resonates for me in terms of career choice. I was dead set on Forensic Psychology until my advisor strongly suggested that I did not have the constitution for the job and what it would take. So devastating. Education wasn’t my chosen field, but it is where my heart lies. 

We just never know. Some disappointments are blessings in disguise.  

Being a speech therapist is my second career, so not my initial choice.  You are quite right that sometimes our disappointment leads to other blessings.  I love my career and have absolutely no regrets for the change in path.  I'm sure all your students are happy you listened to your advisor.  :) 

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Valkyrie
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17 hours ago, Sherye said:

Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I am glad you stayed!

Thank you!  So am I.  The individuals I work with are amazing people :)

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