Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Day 223: Friendly Faces

Last night I went to bed very sad.  I surprised myself by mourning my old job.  I thought about the predictable inservice I wouldn't sit through, and the dear friends that wouldn't be saving me seats.  Anxiety crept up inside of me as I thought about walking into this new auditorium with not a single friend, but a million empty seats that I had to choose from.  I felt sadness for the inside humor I would have shared with friends over Bloodborn Pathogens, and felt terrified about what I would do during the designated "lunch on your own" time when everyone else had friends to go out to eat with.
I missed my old job last night.

And this morning when I got up I decided it was going to be okay.  No one remembers who sat by themselves on their first day or ate lunch alone in their classroom while everyone else was out at Pizza Ranch.  I knew I'd be okay... albeit sad.

But that wasn't how it went.  Of course I felt awkward 70% of the day, and didn't really know how things worked, or where the printer was, or how to find things like my mailbox. 

But none of that really mattered because people were friendly.  They introduced themselves to me.  They encouraged me.  They went out of their way to make me feel welcome. 

AND I got two invitations to lunch. 

It makes me wonder if in my past job I was as kind and generous and friendly to first-time teachers as these people have been to me.

Today I am thankful for people who stretch to make others feel welcome.

I may have just learned something very valuable from them today.

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