Rain Rain Go Away

I hate to complain about nonstop rain when so many other areas, especially those folks in Oklahoma, have to face nonstop tornadoes and devastation.  But let me tell you, we've had enough rain to float a boat and it's making me pretty cranky.  Hopefully it's over for a while.  We're supposed to have at least a couple of days clear before more rain maybe next week.  I hate to even check the forecast. 

Anyway, it's been so long  . . . I wanted to check in for the few readers I have left to let you know what's been going on lately.  In spite of joining Facebook (finally) I must tell you that I really am not impressed and still prefer my blog.  So I will continue to post here whenever I have any news.  I like the chance to ramble on and expound a bit about whatever theme has pulled me to the keyboard.

Right now it's just an update on my new job as an executive recruiter - a headhunter, whatever you call it.  I love the new job.  It's really fun and has enough variety to keep me really excited about it.  I've only been there just over a month so far, am enjoying it.  The people I work with are fantastic.  Very kind and helpful to a newbie like me.  It's weird being a fifty-something newbie, but that's what I am in this business.  In spite of the gray hair, I am learning a whole new industry.  Fortunately I am good at approaching businesses and getting the business, so that part isn't new to me, but working in the employment field really is.  I get to meet so many interesting people.

Doing this job has already shown me the importance of one's career path.  Mine has been a very disjointed and rocky journey   . . . . and I must tell you, most employer's are looking for a stable work history, and your resume really tells a story.   So I'm now advising job candidates to think carefully about each job change and to make each one as meaningful and directed and well-thought out as possible, even though there are many changes that are brought "on" us without our control.  But still, planning a path for oneself and finding a way to make sense out of it and explain it like a well-plotted novel to a potential reader, errr I mean prospective new boss, is really an essential part of building a solid career these days.  So I'm really getting a kick out of teaching job hunting skills to the candidates I interview, and hopefully I can be of help to them, even while I learn a new set of skills myself.  I am surrounded there by people with a lot of experience in this industry, and I'm really impressed with the integrity of this agency. 

My diet and exercise plans are suffering though.  I've been so absorbed in learning and doing this new job that everything else has fallen by the wayside, including my concentration on eating right and exercising regularly.  Boy, at this age, if I don't keep a constant watch on it, the pounds really jump on fast.  So needs to be more of a focus than it has been. 

I'm preparing soon to go back to the monastery for a two-day retreat and I can't wait.  The peace, calm and serenity of that place calls me back.  I could and should practice more quiet prayer and meditation time at home, but somehow being in that chapel and later returning to my Spartan bare room there at the visitor's center just affects me in a positive way like no where else I've ever been.   Here at home I have to purposely step away from the busy-ness just to find a few moments to turn within, but there, the sacredness is the most natural thing in the world and surrounds everyone and everything. 

Being there reminds me that there's divine order in everything . . . even endless rain.  But since the monastery is very near a river, I'm hoping the endless storms ease off enough to let me enjoy a few quiet days with the nuns.