One of those things was work. At the end of March, I was told by my company that the office was going to close its doors. My bosses were looking to move, hopefully together and hopefully bring me along. They didn't know what would happen (obviously) and they wanted me to be aware of the situation. When I first started working, if you worked well with someone and they moved to a new firm, you went with them -- you were a team and that's how it was. It's not that way today.
So, I started looking for a job. I've been a legal secretary for 26+ years (working at an Intellectual Property ("IP") firm). I've been an Office Manager for 10+ years (also at an IP firm). I've been doing paralegal work for much of that time (also IP). It was hard for me to get interviews -- whether it was age or just not the right set of skills (or perhaps my resume wasn't what it needed to be). I was working with several recruiters. I looked on Indeed, I looked on LinkedIn. I had several interviews and nothing was panning out. I was very discouraged -- and stressed out. I need to work. It's not quite retirement time.
So, maybe in early July, one of my bosses let me know that the office was closing and we needed to sell the office furniture. I put an email out to the association I belong to, asking if anyone was interested in any furniture. I ended up talking to one of my colleagues and got an interview with her firm -- it wasn't exactly what I was looking for -- but it seemed an interesting option. Long story short, I met with her people, they seemed great -- but they needed to interview some more. I lined up a couple more interviews and then received an offer from the interesting option. I was thrilled. I accepted and started working with them at the beginning of August.
Everything is new. Everything is different.
In the meantime, my former employers/bosses ended up going together to a different place, but there wasn't a position for me. So, my getting this other position was a very good thing.
Now, the sad part of this is that for the past 26 years, I have worked for/with the same person. He and I were not just co-workers, we were/are friends (and that obviously won't change), but when you have seen/talked with someone for just about every day for that length of time and then it just stops, just like that, it's hard. It makes me sad. I'm very happy where I am, but I'm sad that he and I aren't working together any more.
The other thing going on was with my father. In May, he fell and broke his leg. Because he was unable to walk, he could no longer live in our home. He was in a nursing home/rehab facility and refused physical therapy and at that point we decided that he needed to live near one of my other siblings .. he went to live near my sister in Oxford, Ohio. That was a great relief for me and my husband. However, things did not go well. He was in and out of the hospital -- in a few different nursing facilities and becoming more miserable, physically and mentally, all the time; steadily declining.
On December 23, my sister called to let me know that he had died. He had died in his sleep.
I feel bad that when he left I was really angry with him and never saw him again to apologize or leave things on a better note.
Here's a picture of my dad from last Christmas. His 90th birthday.
3 comments:
Hopefully the new job has been a good fit. My boss will be retiring soon and I am dreading that day.
Hugs about grandpa I don’t think he was holding onto bitterness at the end, he seemed much more pleasant the last few times I saw him.
Thank you for generously sharing your ups and downs with us. I was forced into early retirement in my early 50's. 21 years ago my first husband walked out on me and the children on Dec 17. So it was a horrible year. Our son soon decided to go with his dad because he was on drugs and knew he being with his dad would be the path of least resistance. I didn't speak to their dad for over 15 years. This past August their dad fell and totally messed up his pelvis. The fall was due to a seizure. Our son came and stayed with me for 2 weeks. Their dad asked for me. I stayed with him lots of time he was in the hospital and then in rehab even though I'm disabled, too. He asked if I would consider reconcilation. I was leery. He made several promises. As soon as he got out of rehab, he dropped me again. Oh, I know ways to hurt him to the core and our son doesn't want me to do it. I've been in the psych hospital and needed to go again and didn't. The doctors can't get my meds regulated again. You are very, very strong. I pray that you grow to enjoy this job. There is a reason for your being at your new job. I'm not well enough to work due to physical or emotional health. Hold your head high and look for why your are there. It may be your knowledge, your personality, your ability to help someone who needs you, or someone to help you or even a combination. God knows your heart about your dad. Take care and have a great 2019.
What a stressful year! Glad everything worked out well for you with the job hunt. So sorry to hear about the loss of your father. Wishing you a much less stressful and more joy filled 2019.
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