Old Dog, New Trick

Perhaps I shouldn’t have titled it, “Old Dog.” It makes me sound so … “past the point of help or enlightenment.” Still, I don’t know how else to convey today’s musings about a new job I shall attempt to start tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning.

Let me start first by stating the universal fact known about me to my friends and family … I don’t do mornings. These are parts of the day that just need to be slept through. That possibly comes from the fact that I get my best sleep after I’ve woken up, stared aimlessly at the brightening window and analyze everything that has to be done. Amazingly enough, I usually fall back to sleep within thirty minutes of that stress and sleep like nobody’s business.     UNTIL a child wanders in and tells me it’s time to wake up or they’ll be late for school. Oh, and they don’t want to eat the school lunch, they want me to pack a picnic basket full of goodies and snacks for them to eat throughout the day and share with their friends who find my lunches tastier than theirs. Ahhhhh… wake me at noon!

And so my issue…I start a new job tomorrow. Yes, I seem to have digressed about the whole morning thing, but I’m most nervous about the subject at hand; the job. You see, for the past forever or so, I’ve been employed to do a certain task. Albeit, it comes with a million tiny tasks attached to it, it’s still something I can do with a blindfold, two ear plugs, and one arm tied around my back. To boot, it’s an executive position of sorts. I sit behind a desk, hold a title, and pretty much oversee others to do the grunt parts of it. Before you think less of me for this description, I’ve worked there over twenty years and have earned the perks.

Flash forward to tomorrow. I’m traveling down a different path, with people I don’t know, doing something I’ve never done, and all the while beginning at a somewhat more mature age than most. During orientation, I looked around and to my sad surprise, realized I could’ve mothered most of these young things. Really?

So, what if I can’t do it? I won’t get the privilege of being considered young and dumb. I’ll, instead, come off being old and stupid. Alright, older and stupid. Not to mention the labor. I’ll have to actually engage in intensive acts of work. Not that I didn’t before, but mind power is a little different than hand to hand combat with dough and pastries. That’s right, I’m trying my hand in a bakery. I’ve always wanted to work with food and I got my chance this month when I interviewed (not done in 20 years) and got the job!!

I have high hopes it’ll be great and I’ll learn a lot about the techniques, but I’m also nervous about the long hours and stepping out of my comfort zone. Isn’t comfort zone a dirty word, anyway? You only have one life on this earth; go and sample the little things that bring you joy:) Here’s to a good first day!!!