So…today, I went for a job interview. One of my friends recommended me for the position (thanks, sweetie!). I’d be a bookkeeper at a New Age cancer retreat center. The campus overlooks the Hood Canal; it’s a beautiful view, even on a rainy day like today. I saw at least 6 blue herons fishing for their brunch. They rent the facilities out to companies for their corporate training. They hold Wellness Retreats as well as host support groups for cancer patients. They serve about 7,000 people per year, with 34-36 beds.
Amazing.
I dreaded this interview. I felt so tired today, and rushing home from kettlebells, showering, dressing up and talking to a stranger didn’t appeal to me at all. I mean, I’m already working for the shelter, though the term “working” I use loosely. I got hired back in December and I’ve worked something less than 40 hours for them in total. I’ve had several meetings, usually with the architect and the executive director, and read the notebook for the federally-funded program whose money we’ll be utilizing. But that’s it. No files set up. No office space (which will be in my home) delineated. Nothing about when the money for the groundbreaking will actually arrive.
To tell you the truth, the limbo is killing me. I hate the in-between space on anything. I’m an either/or person. I like things black and white, though I’ve learned to live with gradations of gray. I want to get this party started, to quote Pink.
The interviewer, who would be my boss, offered me the job on the spot after the interview. That felt good. Our 20-minute interview was succinct, outlining what skills I’d need to pick up in QuickBooks to run the kind of reports this particular nonprofit needs. They are audited annually and need quarterly reports. They have credit cards that need expense reports tied to them, something I did back at Aspen for my old boss. They are finally starting to think like a business, trying to figure out profit margins on the events they host.
And that’s what got me. What, a nonprofit thinking like a business?! Profit margins?! Sign me up. It’s about time. Let’s utilize all we have in order to better serve people, right? Let’s maximize our space, time and resources to get the most out of them. Depending on donations alone is ridiculous. Even nonprofits need to be competitive.
I am torn, however. I want to give the shelter the most flexibility and my priority. But 4 months of waiting has me a bit lackluster about the position. When will it start? Who knows? There always seems to be another hoop to jump through, another study or group to be notified or appeased. I go weeks without logging any hours for the program.
If I take this position, I need to be there for one full 8-hour day per week. Keep in mind I haven’t worked an 8-hour day since 2005. At least, not in a professional setting. Okay, the Microsoft gigs count. Never mind.
So, I’m in prayer. Can I even do both jobs and keep the “space” in my schedule I so desperately covet? Can I find a good balance of work and play so this Jill doesn’t go nuts? I want to keep going to exercise classes, writing and volunteering at Ruby’s school. I need to contact my boss at the shelter and see what she thinks. I have to put it before her, and see if she’d be willing to work around a more set schedule for me. Is this where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing? I’m going to find out.
Dancing in the Rain 