Gratitude Challenge - Day 3

Day Three

Write about something you feel grateful for in your life today.
Day Three was actually yesterday. I didn't get a chance to do it but i thought all day about what i would write about. I read a few that others have done & realized that some people were putting emphasis on the "today" part - thanking God for what they are thankful for that day specifically, while others were putting emphasis on the "in your life" part - thanking God for their kids or husband or friends. I was trying to think of what i was thankful for that day specifically & nothing was coming to me. I mean, i was at work. I am at work. I can think of 100 places i would rather be. Ya know? But it kept crossing my mind to maybe do this post about my job anyway.

I thought, "really? be thankful for work?" I mean, it's no secret that i don't love my job. It's no secret that i'd rather be a stay-at-home-mom (i know...kinda hard to do when you don't have kids yet), or that i'd rather be getting paid to do theatre. It's no secret that things happen here that can be somewhat annoying, stressful, frustrating & overwhelming.

However, there are also good things about this place. And today, as i was standing at the copy machine, scanning yet another document, i started to think about this challenge again. Thinking i could do a post on something else in my life. But then i realized that, for me, it is more challenging to write about work. I decided i should go with that. :)

CAAA Staff

Things about my Job that make me Thankful.

1. We recently got a new garbage can. We were just talking about  how fantastic it is when i went to heat up my soup for lunch. Now, you may laugh about it. But we had this much smaller garbage can before & it became quite annoying having to constantly stuff more stuff in it or (god forbid) change the liner ourselves. But this new garbage can is MASSIVELY huge & clean & yeah. We like it.

2. We also just got a new copy machine. WOW. Can i tell you? I love it! We just got it on Friday & Monday we started using it. Again, you may think i'm goofy for being thankful for a new copier, but so help me, that older one drove me insane! It would get misfeeds for NO REASON AT ALL. I mean, not a user error. You could print something from your computer & it would cause a paper jam (our copier is also our printer & fax & scanner). & for some reason, everyone here thinks i am the misfeed queen so they would get me to come help them fix it. I wish i had my camera today to show you a picture of the garbage can & the copy machine but you will just have to trust me. It is a MIRACLE COPIER. It is saving TIME. And it is way faster at scanning than the old one. Which is a good thing when you are responsible for scanning all documents.

me with my boss, tracy

3. I get paid more money here than in any other job. Granted, it is not a ton of money. I don't have a degree. So don't start calling me asking if we're hiring! (Not only that, but this is a non-profit.) But i'm just saying...i make more money here than i have anywhere else. It's a good thing.

4. I have gotten 3 raises & 1 promotion since i got here. I shall never forget the position i was in before i had this one. Receptionist. That sounds like such an easy job, but let me just say - i went home with migraines &/or tears nearly everyday. It was HELL. I am SO thankful not to be in that position any longer. The job i'm in now is certainly more stressful, but it's a different kind of stress. It's situations i can handle & figure out. I am thankful for a job that gives raises (i have worked for non-profits before that never gave raises) & i am thankful for the opportunity to move up.

5. I have my own office. It is tiny, but i love it. There are no windows, but i love it. It can sometimes get really hot in here (no vent), but i LOVE it. I have a fan for the hot days. :) Before, i was in the lobby, which was more of a room for people to walk through & i couldn't hear myself think! My office is just off that room, so i still hear a lot of noise, but i can close my door at any time. (I don't...but i could.)

Me & the Favaron's at the Annual Meeting this year.

(A friend of mine's grandparents; i was excited to see them!)

6. There are really great people here. The office is made up of, oh, i don't know, 30 women & 2 men? That sounds about right. They are all really nice. Though there has been some drama, i think everytime we go through a hiring process, we get a better bunch of people. A group that meshes well together.We have a pretty great group right now. There are certain coworkers i just love. They make the atmosphere here a bit more enjoyable.

  Tonya, Me, Mrs. Shirley & Wendy*

7. Once a year there is an annual meeting. It sounds boring, but it's actually a lot of fun. The Councils on Aging bus in all of their elderly clients - we have all kinds of activities for them & lunch is served. It's our one fun day of the year & we get to go home after lunch. The annual meeting is where these pictures came from - they were taken by Tracy & Jan (click any pic to see it larger).

8. We have a meeting each month...parts of it can be boring but we do celebrate all the birthdays from that month & it is a few hours away from the phones! We also have a Thanksgiving & Christmas party. The Christmas luncheon this year will be at Sammy's Grill - i just found this out yesterday & i'm thrilled! I LOVE SAMMY'S! HAHA.

Ok, so there ya have it. I feel better about this place already. It's good to focus on the positive. :)

*I absolutely love these three! They are the best! Tonya is the coworker i am closest to. Her desk is near mine...several feet are between us but we can see each other. If something outrageous happens, we will give each other looks. Ha! We are able to discuss anything with each other without worrying about the other blabbing to others. She is a Christian & i am so grateful for her! (She is expecting baby #3 in March!) Mrs. Shirley is so sweet. She is like the mama around here, haha. She makes everyone feel better. She is super sweet & fun to talk to. Wendy often stops by my desk to say just a quick something that usually is to make me laugh. She is hilarious. She cracks me up. And she's a good listener. There are a lot of other great people here, but these three are the ones i am most thankful for!!