The Best Job I Ever Had
Recently, I noticed that I had as my work experience on my Facebook page that I was working two part-time jobs: one left-brained, one right-brained. I’ve corrected that since I’m retired now. But let me tell you about that right-brained job I had for a while.
When I came to Albuquerque, I knew virtually no one. I had one friend from a job years ago in Illinois who lived in Albuquerque. I turned to this friend and asked if she knew of anyone hiring executive assistants/ secretaries/receptionists/copy editors/file clerks, since I could actually document that I’d performed all these jobs. She replied, “You need to talk with Ona. She knows everyone, and she knows everything that’s going on in the city.”
So I met with Ona, gave her a copy of my resume, and went home thinking, “What a lovely person she is. I hope she can find someone in her milieu who wants to hire me part-time.” So I was a little surprised when someone from her office called a few weeks later and asked me to come in for an interview. The rest is history – well, my history, at least. I got hired as the assistant to anyone who needed my help.
I worked with the crew at Prosperity Works for 10 years, and not one day of those 10 years did I feel useless, or a fraud, or less important than anyone else in the office. As I would leave at the end of my day, Ona would call from her office as I passed, “Thanks for your work today.” Having spent years dealing with Imposter Syndrome in every job I’d ever had, this was like being in heaven.
To get to do important work, with wonderful people doing even more important work that helped SO many people, and to be THANKED for that work… well… That atmosphere fed me, body and soul, until I retired at 80.
Best. Job. I. Ever. Had!
Happy Retirement, Ona (retirement is GREAT, by the way),.– Happy Anniversary, Prosperity Works — and Happy Many More Years of serving the people of New Mexico.
Much love from Raye Baldwin
