Job Appreciation

So, an update on my career
from my chair on the sunporch.

I interviewed for the manager position
and felt good about the interview.

Didn't get the job
and feel pretty darn good about that as well.

The three weeks between
finding out the job was open
and finding out the outcome
gave me some good soul searching time
to look at why I like being a chaplain,
and what I would miss were I not one.

I would miss a lot, it turns out.

Plus, since my interview,
my supervisors have been
bending over backwards
to make sure I'm feeling
adequately challenged and engaged.
I think the universe has been doing the same.
I've had more interesting referrals
in the last month...
alert people with challenging questions.
All while gaining a new appreciation
for the quiet hymn singing time
with the demented folk.

It is good being a chaplain.

I'm glad I interviewed, though.

It helped me take myself more seriously...
which I need to do.

While I love clowning around,
it pays to remind myself and others
that there is substance lurking
below the surface.

I think one of the things I discovered
during the last month
is that the people around me
remember there is substance to me
even when I have begun to forget.