I may be the only one,
but life has crept up on me in the form of aging. I know it was just last week I was remarking
about how old someone looked – and I wasn’t looking in the mirror either.
Seriously, how did I get here and when did I arrive at this destination?
It has taken me a
moment to figure out that I have gotten older – and the world has no problem
helping me to understand this fact. Case in point: I have been unemployed for
over a year. My resume looks great (and I know now to alter said resume depending
on the position I am applying for); I have an undergraduate degree and am a
thesis away from a graduate degree. My last job provided me the opportunity to
meet key players and those players were always applauding my abilities, ethics
and overall attitude. I have the makings of a great employee so what is the
matter? I’m old.
Not too old for some
things and not old enough for others – like the senior discount on major
airlines or a stipend from social security. But, I am too old to hire for the
positions for which I qualify. My experience and skills are all the rage for
that executive seeking someone who can, and will, get the job done. I know how
to arrange travel and keep confidential all manner of information. I am loyal,
sometimes to a fault and, I believe in doing what it takes to get the job done.
Should I go on? Of
course I should.
My children are all
adults so I don’t have to take off when someone is ill or out of school. I
believe in arriving at work at least thirty minutes ahead of time and overtime
is no problem in my world. I will tackle any assignment and most likely be
successful in the outcome. I am an effective communicator and a great listener.
If you were choosing for your baseball team you wouldn’t pick me first but, if
you were choosing for your administrative team I would either be first choice
or the captain doing the choosing. In other words, I am good at what I do.
So who wouldn’t want
to hire me? Apparently no one does because I have yet to receive a job offer.
Plus, in the year and a half that I have been unemployed, I have gone on less
than a dozen interviews. What’s up with that?
This is truly my story but it doesn’t end here. Everything I
said was true – finding employment has been a task. And it has taken me a
moment to figure out that what God has for me may not be what I am asking for.
Listen, I prayed for a continual flow of income and I got it. The orders for
popcorn, cakes, tree decorating and errands were pouring in. I had, and still
have, a continual flow of income just as I asked. So that was great, right?
Wrong.
What I prayed for wasn’t exactly what I wanted…