(posted by ange)
Don’t tell my insurance company, but I have suddenly become a working woman. One day I was typing once a week for a surgeon, and the next thing I know, I’m working part time in a law office. Thanks to my dear friend Michelle, I have been hooked up with the perfect part time, flexible to my needs, my insurance company is none the wiser job. Michelle called me shortly after we returned from Portugal to ask if I would be interested in a temporary job doing filing for a couple of lawyers that she works for on contract. She thought it would be a couple of hours a day for a couple of weeks just getting everything caught up. Although I probably wasn’t in the greatest shape to be doing work, my need for money overruled and I said with as much enthusiasm as I could, YES!
She gave them my number and they called to arrange a meeting. As I would, I assumed this would be an interview and prepared as such. I painstakingly reviewed my wardrobe and tried on numerous outfits, looking for both “interview suitable” and “able to do up/ get on/somewhat fit”. I updated and printed my resume. I mentally practiced all variations of law office interview questions and appropriate answers. I prepared my explanation of why I was off work and required cash payment. I went to bed early and arrived to the interview early. As I walked into the office, I was ready. Too bad it wasn’t an interview. Nope. It was a “here’s where this is, here’s where that is, here’s what needs to be done, can you do it?” I was somewhat startled, actually asking “Don’t you even want to see my resume?” Apparently not. (Although they did call later to say they would take a copy to have on record.) So after about 10 minutes, I was told I could get started. Again, startled, I said I thought I was there for an interview and that I wasn’t actually there to work. No problem. When did I want to start? I would start the next day.
What started out as getting them caught up with the filing quickly turned into answering the phone, taking dictation, typing letters, and other basic tasks that wouldn’t mean anything if you didn’t work in a law office. 6 weeks later, I’m still there, about 3 days a week, a few hours each day and it seems that I’m not going anywhere (the lawyer has been referring to me as his secretary since about the 3rd week, so…).
So here I am a working girl. I go to bed early on work nights. I set an alarm and grudgingly get up after hitting snooze for 45 minutes. I dress in “nice” clothes (i.e. not sweatpants). I get sore feet because the shoes that go with my outfit are not made for walking to work. I stop at Starbuck’s for my tea en route. I work. I come home and call out to Dave, who is usually still in sweatpants “Hi honey! I’m home!” And best of all, I get a pay cheque every couple weeks! On top of all this, I’m realizing that my brain does function, I am remembering things I thought were completely gone from my memory and I’m gaining a sense of confidence that has been lost for some time.
Michelle, if you read this, thank you. You probably don’t realize how much this is helping me. :)
hmmm...i get up in the morning, open my door and gosh, i'm already at work. I don't have a chance to stop in at starbucks for a tall, or a grande, or even a venti coffee, because i go into the kitchen, and voila!!!, the morning chef has already turned the coffee on, sadly, not starbucks. I get to answer the phone too...even if its 6:30 in the morning and someone says" i'm not feeling well this morning but i would like, hot cereal with brown sugar and raisins, brown toast with becel and strawberry jam, coffee with one cream, and a poached egg please. I hope i'll be feeling better to come for dinner"...yeah right!!. I get a pay cheque too,every two weeks, it goes into my bank account; i don't call out "honey i'm home, because i live where i work, so i'm already home...ohhhh the good life....i'm pleased to hear your doing so well...now tell me, how long do you figure before your running the entire office???
ReplyDelete