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Finding good even in a bad job.
Recently I had a job in a law firm for about a month. It was in the most prestigious and refined location I’d ever worked, and at the best pay I’d made in several years. So to quit that job soon after getting it was a surprise and a letdown. My reasons for leaving had more to do with a situation outside the firm itself. There were good reasons behind my leaving and I stand by my decision to do so. But the suddenness of my departure left me reeling. I felt a bit awkward and embarrassed. I basically wrote off the whole experience, didn’t really talk about it with my friends, and didn’t even want to include the job on my resume -- just get on with something else as quickly as possible. Then I read Travis’s blog “Life is not a straight line” and it reminded me that there are no "throw-away" events in my life. Everything does have value. So I needed to look back at that experience, and redeem it somehow. I started by remembering I had a lot to be grateful for about it. After all, I did have a pretty good time there. I met some super people and got to contribute to the very valuable work of the attorneys, their secretaries and paralegals. I found out how really generous, gracious and interesting the ones I got to know were. And I was able to share some spiritual comfort with one fellow-worker whose mother had to be admitted to a hospital unexpectedly. Additionally, many times each day, I got to turn my thoughts toward some challenging work situation, affirming silently God’s constant love and care for everyone in the situation. I got to see it improve before my eyes. More than anything else, I was struck with the fact that everyone was so very nice there. This totally blew away a previously unacknowledged prejudice I’d been harboring that attorneys and their secretaries had to be stuffy and stiff and intimidating. But these were genuinely warm, loving people -- a very pleasant surprise. But I was not surprised at all to hear that almost all of them were very spiritually-minded people, each actively involved in their own spiritual lives and encouraging their families and each other to develop and live their own spirituality. No one there shared my specific religious background but it didn’t matter. No religious matters were discussed, debated, or even mentioned on the job, but they quietly went about their business expressing the divine qualities of wisdom, grace and soul they privately nurtured. I’m sure this was what made for such a palpably soul-filled work atmosphere. I got the benefit of being part of that special place, contributing my spirituality to the mix. I wish my fellow-workers all the best, and am now ready to take another step forward on my spiritual journey. I’m glad I took this second look. This time saw more good. This blogger is sharing her spiritual journey as she continues to seek meaningful employment. More at SEWjourner .
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