Working For The Weekend

You'll notice that this past Saturday I wrote about the virtues of Saturdays. That post was actually written on my last weekend as a Monday through Friday employee. After almost two years working Monday through Friday, I am back to weekend rotation. Do I like it? No. NO.
When I interviewed for this position, that weekend rotation was the only drawback to the offer. And it was a big drawback. The Mr. and I have always wanted our weekends off together. I worked weekends in the beginning of my nursing career and we hated it. So naturally, I was prepared to hate it now and wondered if that was a good reason to pass on this job. I was so hesitant about making this commitment that I even asked if there was a possibility of the position eventually evolving into Monday through Friday. The answer was yes, it's possible. And no guarantees.
There are three units with three managers at my new facility. Each manager takes a rotation covering the whole house for the weekend resulting in an every third weekend rotation. Well, with some restructuring going on and some moving people around, I am the second dayshift manager temporarily. Do the math, I'm working every other weekend now. That's even yuckier than every third weekend. The search for the third manager is underway so hopefully within a few months I'll be back to every third. Suddenly I've gone from no weekends to looking forward to every third weekend.
As for my new job, I love it. I love the place, the people and the patients. I am still learning and have much to learn so I have moments of stress but that is part of change and growth. I am certainly being stretched. STRETCHED.
I was a clinical coordinator and now I'm a manager. I worked Monday through Friday and now I rotate weekends. I covered a thirty eight bed unit, now I will cover the whole house. I had a former janitor's closet for an office, now I have a private bathroom. I wore scrubs, now I wear business attire. I had someone above me to bounce my questions off of, now I am the someone above. I worked a straight eight hour shift, now I work eight and I'm on call for four. I worked only on my unit, now I work in the hospital and spend a good amount of time in downtown D. I used to punch a clock, now I am trusted to get there when I need to be there and leave when I deem it appropriate. I used to dance at work, I have not yet danced in my new role. I used to focus my care on the chronically psychotic and addicted, now I specialize in depression. I had an associate's degree and that was fine, now I'm returning to school to become a nurse practitioner.
By all accounts I should be in abject terror and gripped with dread of the weekend rotation. But I'm not. Much to my surprise, it's all good. Never having been a person who adjusted well to change, I kept waiting to dissolve into a puddle of tears. Now I realize, I am fine. I am more than fine because I am right in the palm of God's hand. I picture him smiling as he sets me down into my office in the mornings, right where he wants me and right where I should be. I have a new understanding of his goodness and his favor on me leaving me sure that he will enable me. In fact, he will make the journey joyous. It has always been him in me that has produced any good thing. Today I no longer see my life divided into the good things (more money) and the bad things (working weekends). It is all good and even though I would not have chosen every detail on my own, I know that those weekends are good too.
I used to picture myself as a single mother. Now my grown sons have lived in a two-parent home where they have been surrounded by an example of a loving marriage.
I used to be a homemaker who feared not having someone to support her. Now I am a nurse manager.
I used to have a high school diploma. Now I am planning on private practice as a nurse practitioner.
I used to dread change and growth.
Now I welcome tomorrow's challenges.
I used to look at my life and assume the bad came with the good.
I guess there's only one thing to say about that school of thought...

I once was lost, but now I'm found. Twas blind, but now I see.