Hopping

Today is officially my last Thursday posing as Friday event. I was offered a job in another department and I start Monday. It will be a 5-day workweek, I don’t know if I will know how to behave in that situation, however I shall figure it out.

I am incredibly grateful for my new opportunity within the major telecommunications corporation I am employed with. It was an unexpected offer, however a welcome one nonetheless. I packed my desk yesterday; it is a very bittersweet circumstance. I truly enjoy the people I work with; they are all different, with different personalities, quirks and temperaments. The one consistent thing with them all is their helpful attitudes; I am so fortunate to have worked with this group for so long. Twenty-four of us are going to the new job, so happy to be going with so many familiar faces. So sad to be leaving so many, I pray the rest can find jobs as well; they are all in my daily prayers.

When the layoff announcement came, they told us 43 people would have to go, we were stunned, shocked, dismayed and a depression settled in the office. With people finding jobs and with the unfortunate passing of one of us, that number is down to 11. The one of us that passed, he would be happy that he saved one person because that is the kind of person he was.

From 43 to 11, that is huge, the mood in the office is now one of hope not despair, I see people smiling and laughing more. We are grateful for our new opportunities and hopeful for the ones left in the office that they too will be able to find employment within the company.

I have to say here, now, our Chief Steward came through, he has worked tirelessly in the pursuit of opportunities for our people. I am beyond impressed with his dedication in this endeavor; it is what is going to keep me a union member. I also have to give huge kudos to our 2^nd level manager; he also worked tirelessly helping to make this happen. I have to be honest here, I didn’t really pay attention to his mood, but when I saw, after the 24 people were told of their opportunity he looks lighter. I didn’t realize what a toll this had taken on him; I am impressed (it is a word being given a work out here, however it fits) with his caring, I am sorry I didn’t see it before.

I will begin my new adventure on Monday, learning new things, helping a whole new set of customers getting to know new people and even seeing old friends.

Before anyone thinks, wow how lucky, no, it was not luck, it was God, pure and simple. There were a lot of prayers going up for the people in that office, I am still praying that they can pull 11 more jobs out of the hat.

On a different note I am revisiting a segment I call Does That Make My Dog Crazy. Last night I come home and found the Irishman and Stormie are playing chase. Stormie actually hops, yes, hops, like the dogs in the old cartoons. I tried to get this on video, but she knows when she is being recorded! She stopped doing it! Then she and I began to play hide and seek, this is our favorite game. She will chase me to the kitchen, I will hide behind a wall, she goes to the other side, I slide around out of her view, she then runs around. I slide, she runs, then she will become very quiet, I will peek out and she is there and she jumps for joy because she won that round of hide and seek! What a joy she is, she definitely keeps our household, well, hopping.