This evening ends the first week of working the graveyard shift at Best Western – my new job. In December, my holidays began with the end of my position at HATMA, which closed on the 31^st; my last day was the 23^rd.

I’ll admit there was a mild amount of leisure in not working but the lackluster of having nothing to do quickly transformed into an increasingly noticeable blemish. I think I realized this most when my visits to the gym were less than my visits to bar with friends. The heavy bear that goes with me finally stopped me and highlighted this. Thankfully, that bear hadn’t jumped in my waistline yet.

Just after accepting this position at Best Western, I received two other notifications regarding application for other positions. The first call was for a management position with Chick-fil-a. I’ll be honest that after sending out nearly a hundred unique cover letters and resumes for positions and receiving communication for less than 5% of those, I quickly began to consider other opportunities beyond my immediate interests. The second, and admittedly the most exhilarating, came from Georgia State University. The quests with these two institutions are still underway; however, I am enjoying and appreciating the opportunities provided by my employment here and thankful for the introduction into the hotel industry – regardless how low the rung on the ladder.

Here at Best Western I’ve found the three degrees that separate me from insanity.  I was reading some poems this evening by Frank Stanford. One stood out to me, The Minnow:

If I press

on its head,

the eyes

will come out

like stars.

The ripples

it makes

can move

the moon.

Best Western is my minnow for the time being; its small and meager compensation for my time is making ripples in my life that are profound. Okay, maybe not moon -moving, but it’s surely giving me 8 hours to reflect on life and what’s happening.

***

For me, 2009 was a year of rebuilding and renaissance, and sometimes during rebuilding there’s tragedy that occurs as well – there certainly did. This year, however, has already proven itself to be much more than 2009 and seeing where I am a year later is more encouraging than I would have ever guessed 365 days ago.  In numbers, they say 10 represents the completion of a cycle and also a beginning.

Having put away the pen to some of the largest chapters in my life, I am ending those tales with a much better perspective and attitude than I would have thought. I am writing this at 3:15am, earning my $7.50 an hour and happy. This may have been the hardest earned $7.50 but it was well worth it to look back and smile on what I’ve learned. Sometimes we have to step back before we can see where it is we need to go.