Being new

If there's one aspect of working that I've done more of this year, it's the concept of being the new employee. 

I've started three new jobs in the past eight months. Well, actually if you count the two I did part time this summer, the total is five. Wow, that's weird. 

Being a new employee isn't anyone's idea of a great time I think. It certainly isn't mine. I guess there's a bit of excitement and anticipation as you start a new job. My anticipation was so high when I started to work at Talbott. When I found out I was hired, I was with Amy Mo and Christina in the food court of the CNN Center, in the process of knocking out all the tourist destinations in my own city with all my abundant time off, when my phone rang with the Talbott HR person on the other end. I was totally shocked. Both by the fact they picked me, and about the salary. It was a dream come true. Even though the dream lasted only 91 days, I think there's some inklings of new dreams coming into place in less dramatic fashion.

Which brings me back to the being new topic. Since Christmas I have officially started my two new part-time jobs. For confidentiality sake I'm not going to post the names of where I'm working, but if you're a facebook friend you can find them on my profile. Being new when you are a substance abuse counselor means you must attempt to wedge your way into an existing team that's already used to working constantly together on behalf of clients that they feel are theirs. So being a new person is really delicate. It takes a lot of humility, a lot of watching, a lot of patience, a lot of waiting. A lot of contemplating before you make a comment about a patient, because although you might be right, it might not seem that way to that person's counselor. You also have to work with directors, clinical directors, doctors- who have their own egos, stresses, ideas of change, ideas of success. Eventually, they learn to like you. Then trust you. Then love you. Then miss you (Talbott especially :(......).

Being at these new jobs so far has been an easier transition, and for that I am grateful. Maybe this whole "being new" business is becoming second nature. I'm starting to see a lot of similarities from place to place. 

If Talbott's experience taught me anything, it's to remember how far God allowed me to come in my confidence as a counselor, in my ability to work with people with very similar and different values and personalities then me, in a very short period of time.

And that God is still God. He's still there. He knows all of this. He knows tomorrow.