A Really Great Day

The industry I work in has changed my life because it has provided me with such wonderful employers that have given me the opportunity to learn and grow and take pride in what I do. When I left Arizona, I was devastated to leave my job. Not only because I loved my co-workers, but because it was in that position that I really began to understand who I was as a person and who I wanted to become. I never thought, not in a million years, that I would love this new company so much. Really love doesn't begin to describe it. I could not be more proud to work here and today was a great example of that.

Today the president of the company came to go over some new service protocol. El Paso has never been very profitable for them. They're far away from the other branches and more noteably, they have never had employees who were truly invested in their careers. That's all changed. When I do something, I do it. I love it, I live it, it's me. I am passionate about what I do. It's just office work? No. That's bullshit. This is my life. This company? That's how they feel. They invest millions in training and want nothing more than their employees to change the lives of those they touch. Too big a feat? No way. Changing people's lives is easy. It's about being a postive person, carrying yourself with integrity and taking pride in your work.

Big things are happening in our office and I couldn't be more excited about it. My manager shares my attitude and we both know how much we can grow this branch. I don't know how someone could not be as pumped as us. Because I have been licensed in Arizona since 2007 I am the only person in my office who is qualified to be the CA here. My exam is on March 31st and if I pass it, not only will I get a raise, but I will get some recognition for the last few years of hard work. Maybe that sounds vain, but honestly, a little recognition is nice in the work place, especially when you've earned it.

The down point of the day was picking up lunch at a local barbecue joint in El Paso. The boss wanted BBQ, I ordered BBQ. Simple right? Not so much. The person who took my order was pleasant on the phone, no problems. When I went to pick up the order, a man said, "Are you Emily? Did you order all this food? Come here!" I walked over to the man who then said, "Next time you place an order, try to be a little more considerate and order the day before, not 3 hours before. You see all those people out there eating chicken? No. That's because you ordered all the chicken and it's in your bag." His attitude was seriously so offensive, I was literally about to cry. How in the hell was I supposed to know they only made 2 lbs of chicken at a time? I was slightly shaking, but managed to say, "Don't worry Sir, there won't be a next time." To which he responded, "No, that's not what I meant, I am just trying to nicely tell you that you need to order earlier. It's pretty rude to have all these buffet customers come in without the full menu available." Inside I was screaming a lot of four letter words, but whatever. Then he proceeded to hand me a little plastic tray (like the kind at fast food restaurants) that had everything I had ordered, enough food for about 15 people. Instead of handing it to me he sort of shoved it into my arms, causing the food to come out of it's tinfoil packages and sliiiide down my shirt.

Yup.

So there I was, with meat fat and barbecue sauce dripping down my shirt at 11:30 am on my way to a meeting with the president of my company. Embarassing? Uh, yeah. I quickly thought about running to Walmart and buying another shirt before I remembered that I don't have any money. No dice. And so I went back to the office, explained what had happened, and that was that. Mr. President even used my stained shirt as an explaination of poor customer service. Nice.

The meeting was amazing. It further solidified my opinions of this company and made even more grateful for everything that has come my way since we moved to Juarez. This is where I am supposed to be. This is where I am going to thrive and become the best version of myself. So even though I smelled like brisket the whole car ride home, I couldn't help but stop to think, "Today was a really great day."