first, we had a lovely Easter, complete with family (mostly via telephone), friends, food, and...Easter baskets! mine contained a stuffed bunny that smells like chocolate. pretty fantastic.
speaking of baskets, remember the old aphorism "don't put all your eggs in one basket"?
wise folks, those aphorists. while there were no eggs in my Easter basket, i had unwittingly put a lot of proverbial eggs in the a certain proverbial basket labeled 'Getting Hired as a Spanish Instructor at UGA for the Academic Year 2006-2007'. you know, eggs like "how we will make money for the next year" and "how i will evaluate my own skill and value as a person with an MA in Spanish Literature". clearly, those eggs belong in another basket.
okay, so that metaphor is getting a little out of hand. let's move on to the chickens. yes, yes, the chickens you're not supposed to count before they hatch. apparently, i also had been doing just that, subconsciously of course, when i considered being hired as an instructor as a given (since i had been awarded an Outstanding Teaching Award by the same department one month prior).
i think you can see where this is going. jenna, the chicken-counting basket-stuffer did not, in fact, get hired.
after the initial splattering of eggs on the ground (remember, the ones of financial security & self-esteem?), i've now decided to take a different stance on the whole situation. for one thing, i can now sympathize with some dear friends in similar situations, and put my money (or lack of it) where my mouth is. that is, believe what i've been telling others about how God is our source of worth and provision, not our job (or...lack of it).
as this is an issue with which God really likes to beat me over the head, i would appreciate your prayers.
so, coming back to Easter, that afternoon, i was surrounded by folks for whom God has been faithfully providing despite difficult circumstances. i am poignantly reminded of His grace to us, which comprises the real reason we celebrate Easter. He has made the ultimate provision, a substitute to pay for our outstanding debt to him. what else do i have to worry about?
14 comments:
That, my dear, is a very healthy attitude toward what is of necessity a stressful situation. Hugs!
oof! sorry, fro. that sucks. soo...
what say we take that basket of eggs & find the car of whatever less-qualified jerk stole your job? now THAT's healthy!
Jenna. I am glad to know this. But sorry... And I meant to ask you on the phone tonight, but too brief, the conversation. Am SO sorry. Will call soon to find out more what you are thinking. Will be praying. (And that egg picture - fantastic.)
very sorry about the job not working out as you had hoped. i hereby withdraw all recommendations to my friends that uga is the best college around. the boycott begins today.
that is a cool egg visual, though.
thanks, everyone! i should add a few things:
1. for the sake of being professional, i can't add #1 or #2, just in case certain peers or professors actually read my blog.
2. see #1. i'll be happy to tell you these things in person.
3. i'll probably get asked in late july if i can be an instructor, since they always need more at that time. but, as i said, gotta find some other baskets just in case.
thanks to KTG and susan snyder, i know of some other positions around town...
great to hear you've got some leads.
& hey, i'm looking for a few good carhops. we could make it a family enterprise.
why do i always feel like a trekkie, whenever i say "enterprise?"
BTW, are you still planning to do something tmrw night?
(also, ridiculous that there are nearly as many letters in the word verification box as in my comment. well, i mean, not anymore, of course.)
The big goose egg on your head (speaking of eggs) that gets left there after all of the beating will go down in size in a while. :) Until the next thing, I guess. But what else are heads for, if not for gettin' wailed on?
I bet you didn't really crack like your little yolky friend did. A few little seams in the shell, sure, but no all out scrambling. And you sound like you came out sunny-side-up. Okay, done with the egg jokes.
Sorry I didn't pick up on this when it happened. I'm thinking of and praying for ya. (And good job avoiding the deflection! I should take lessons on forthrightness from you.)
haha, i fooled you with my deceptive, non-deflective appearance. please note that the date of this post is three days after i got the letter.
after darren spent a whole day telling me how smart i was.
and after the prominent Spanish linguist in our department randomly complimented my "buenísimo" Spanish.
there's probably a reason you didn't pick up on it: i felt too dumb to say anything for three days...then, when my ego was properly restored and i had discovered some other options, i was a-okay with tricking the whole blogosphere into thinking i am a calm and resilient person :)
hee hee hee
congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jenna Mason, now that you've conquered the world of academia, what do you plan to do next?
You DID IT!!!
Jennifer Grem, M.A.
THANKS!!! i plan to, uh, sleep....and see people...and clean my house!
Felicitaciones! Good for you!
I know how you feel.
But you're lucky to have so many people to encourage and support you.
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