As you may have gleaned from my allusions to having interviews, starting new jobs, and working at the office, I have dived into a period of transition in nearly every facet of my life. Fortunately, it involves a lot of positive change, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its periodic hiccups or obstacles. I have progressed everything as planned so far, so I thought I’d share my successes and my humorous snags with you today.

To give you an idea of what my situation was like when my job at the office started, I’ll tell you my job and living situations. I accepted a temporary position that coincided with what became my last two weeks at my job in my college’s town. This led me to switching cities (with a three hour drive between them) every few days while keeping up with a 12 day streak of work days. I experienced my first hiccup on the first night, which coincided with my first arrival in my new city.

My mom and stepdad welcomed me into their home as I transitioned between apartments. My mother focused on providing me healthy food and good rest to help with my first week. She even had a nutritive dinner ready when I first arrived. Yet, unfortunately, neither goal was met that night. The first course, the salad sent me to the emergency room. I ended up losing the benefit of the meal and getting to bed late.

Somehow, I felt alive and awake the next morning for my first day at the office. I was also fortunate enough to be handed a coffee mug branded with the company’s name within five minutes of my arrival. That was only the first sign that I had landed in the right place.

I got right down to work, able to place my mug full of coffee on my desk at my own temporary cubicle. It even had a two screen computer, which proved incredibly useful for my first big project. I was so tickled to be surrounded by professionals as I relished the opportunity to have my own area. Even the little details like coffee pots around every corner and guys in ties walking the halls added to the novelty of belonging in the office.

Remembering the pressure to sit with friends in the high school cafeteria but not knowing the climate in the professional world, I asked my mom how it looked to sit alone at lunch. She assured me people wouldn’t judge me for dining alone. To my pleasant surprise, I found a book recycling box when I entered the cafeteria to choose my seat. I eagerly sifted through the books, extracting a copy of The Red Tent to take to my table with me. Again, I knew I was in a good place. I also felt just fine having a table to myself to eat and do my own thing.

By the end of the week, I knew my way around the office and had finished several projects in various departments. My health was in a stable condition after my emergency room visit. I left my temporary job still gainfully employed and with the promise of a full time position at the other office.

I still have a lot of details through which I must sort to get myself settled, but I am well on my way to having a full time professional job in my field and a new home in the city I desired. I am anxious to see how my situation continues to unfold. It will no doubt contain more snags, but I know the bigger picture of my dreams coming true will remain the same.