The Reason Behind It All

if we haven’t had enough crazy in our lives lately…I start a new job on Monday.

For those of you who have worked with me in the past, you are probably thinking “didn’t you just start a new job?” and my answer would be “yep”.  Last year, I left my field marketing position at a company I had worked with for 6 years to embark on a new role with a new company.  At the time, I wasn’t necessarily unhappy at my job.  I loved the team I worked with, I loved the franchisees I worked with, and I was super passionate about the brand and its direction.  It’s a smart company led by smarter people.  BUT, to advance we would have to be in Ann Arbor.  And this SEC lovin, sunshine craving, Southern girl couldn’t do that again:)  To grow I was going to have to leave.  I came to that conclusion, but had yet to really start looking when a recruiter called.

Almost a year later, I sit about to make another change in my career.  Prior to this job, I spent 6 of my 12 years at one brand and the previous 6 at another.  I’m not big on jumping jobs.  I’m not big on jumping in general…ask my personal trainer about days she brought out the jump rope.  BUT, I was leaving work unhappy.  I was mad, I was frustrated and I felt underutilized because the role I was in wasn’t challenging.  I love working.  I love having a career and I have large goals for myself.  I’m also a mom.  If I’m going to choose to work and be away from my children every day, that time away better be well worth it.  And being unhappy, frustrated, and mad was not only unfair to me, it was unfair to my family.  I spent much of the last year being mad mostly at myself….why did I make a change so fast?  Why can’t I find a way to fix things?  It was hard to see, through the frustration and stress that I was in this position and this job for a reason.  Seems easy to say now, but it is important for me to remind myself that the journey I am on in life is a purposeful one.  Had I not worked here, I would never have been introduced to an organization, CWJC, where I now serve as a mentor to a woman working towards obtaining her GED. I would have not have an education on the inter-workings of a smaller scale franchise operation.   I would not have learned what I really want to do with my career moving forward.  I would not have met the few people who I hope will actually keep in touch with me:)  It was frustrating and crazy, but it was worth it. I’m sad to leave some of my coworkers, but couldn’t be more excited for my next adventure.

We may not see the reason behind the happenings in our life immediately, but at some point down the road, we will clearly see. Just like Pierce’s illness.  People ask me all the time if I am mad at the doctor for not testing for celiac earlier.  If I’m upset that things had to get so bad before finding a fix?  The answer is no.  How can I be mad at a doctor who has loved on both of my children?  I look back knowing he was doing what he thought was best, having never treated a child so young for celiac disease.  I believe Pierce’s diagnosis has opened the eyes of the doctors in that office to younger children showing symptoms of the disease, and I hope that what we went through will help other moms and dads in similar situations down the road.   The situation opened my eyes to the strength of my intuition and a drive to always trust my instincts.  It has shown me how much the people in our lives truly love us and love our boys.  And heck, it has even made me shop at Aldi’s 🙂

People, places, things and circumstances are put in your life at a certain time for a very particular reason.  It’s never random, and it will always be worth it.

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