Saturday, September 27, 2008

Falling off Bikes

My last day has come and gone. I survived the experience. Boy was very disappointed that I remained polite to my customers when I got around to serving them. What can I say? I was busy handing out chocolates and getting hugged. I must admit, I really will miss the ladies of Perfumery, they really are fabulous. I will definitely be calling in and bugging them in the future.

It has been a bittersweet time for me. When I left local government I was determined I was going to write for a living. But the fact of the matter is, while I will continue writing, I'm not likely to become a published author. Publishing is a cut-throat business, of the people who I studied with, who are amazing writers, genuinely talented in an iritatingly laisez-faire way, they can't keep themselves. Realistically, if they can't, will I be able to? No not really. So I stuck it out with retail and as much as I found it fun in places, for the most part it was bloody hard work for bugger-all pay.

So here I am going to be a Sales and Marketing Assistant, being suited and booted once again. I confess to being somewhat nervous. Yes, I do know what I'm letting myself in for, over the past 3 months I've got to know the people there fairly well. It's a small company on the verge of taking off. It faces all the challenges that a company in that position does, resourcing, structuring and processes. But given the potential, and the part that I could play, it could be a big player in a really interesting field.

Tomorrow, I'm going through my wardrobe. The endless black t-shirts, grey t-shirts, exceptionally dull black underwear - they are all going out. I have some good pieces in my wardrobe still, but I'll be making a few trips to M&S and BHS for some office staples. I'm looking for some good shoes. Now I'm not expected to stand 7.5 hours a day, I can indulge in some high heels and fuck-me boots. Oops. Did I write that out loud?

The creative writing student is slowly giving way to Business Woman, and in a way, I feel sad for my loss. I like being a grubby art student, being creative suits me. But being a Business Woman is very satisfying in a completely different way. Being around practical people who turn up on time and do what they say they're going to do, allows for a different type of creativity. My job is going to be providing the Face for the company. I'm the person who'll be making sure that the enquiries become the satisfied customers throughout the process. How cool is that?

It might all go horribly wrong. Indeed it might; for I am such an optimist. But I've ended up here because I followed the Path. While I've made decisions: good, bad and indifferent, they've usually been in response to The Universe's jokes. About two years ago, I decided that I was going to go with the flow. These are the uncharted waters and I must admit, I've little to complain about. My Boy is stunning, he's bigger than me, I still get hugs, he still makes me laugh at the end of a shitty day. My Viking is fabulous, a completely unexpected side-effect from blogging. My life is rich and I have much to be thankful for. It is the end of many things, but I'm ready to welcome the changes.

This is made more poignant because a much-loved Elder of the Norwich Chant Collective died this morning. I wouldn't be going out on a limb if I said that without his knowledge and guidance, the people who I count as family wouldn't have been where they are today. While he did not train me, I knew him and was fond of him. We would catch up at handfastings and baby-namings. He would make a point of having a chat if we met by chance in the City. He will be greatly missed.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:38 pm

    Congratulations on the new job. Office work pretty muchsicks, but I think any work where you may have to deal with stupid is the same, so it'll be a brilliant change of scenerey for you and i'm sure you'll be great.

    With regard to shopping, try M&S for really good work shirt/blouse type things. They do ones that are £7.50 each, in a few different colours and they're really good for the office!

    PS - I haven't forgotten your email, have had a busy week!

    Bxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry...nasty typo there. That should be:

    "Office work pretty much sucks..."

    ReplyDelete
  3. beth ~ thanks honey. I'll keep an eye out for M&S stuff over the weekend.

    Hope you're enjoying your week off.

    ReplyDelete

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