Years ago I was planning a move to California. I had given notice at work. I had even shipped a few boxes out ahead. The wheels were set in motion. Just before Thanksgiving I was in the computer lab at work (this was before we had internet at our desks – hard to imagine now!) and one of the residents was in there.
As we were both checking our email, we chatted a bit about Thanksgiving. He commented to me “One of the things Cynthia (his wife) and I are thankful for is the staff here at Beaumont. We really do feel treated like we are extended family.” It was a simple comment, but it really got me thinking about what I would be leaving behind when I left for California. There was a lot to look forward to in the move. A fresh start. Living closer to my brother who had lived on the Left Coast for decades. That was the biggest plus.
This resident’s passing comment made me think about how meaningful my job really was to me. Would I find another job where I had this kind of connection? Maybe. Maybe not. More than crunching numbers – much more. How much of that was the environment and how much was what I put into it? The line blurs. I think I have always made more of a job than just the job. I could do that again somewhere else. But at Beaumont it is so much more and that’s because the environment is set up that way. I think we all (employees) take that for granted sometimes and forget how much we really have.
So I started rethinking the move. I was torn. I love my brother and his family. It would have been great to be able to spend more time with them. But in the end I decided to stay. That was about 12 years ago and I am still at Beaumont. Any job has its ups and downs, but I still think Beaumont offers a little “extra” in regard to the work environment – for anyone who opens their eyes enough to see it.
It was just a passing comment. The resident wasn’t trying to convince me not to leave. He didn’t even know at the time that I had plans to move. I did tell him, later on, how much of an impact his comment made. It literally changed the course of the next segment of my life.
Would moving to California have been a good idea? Absolutely. I have no doubt about that. It would have been great. Who knows what the future might hold – maybe eventually I will make that move. But for right now, this is the right place for me. I’m glad for where I am.
And I’m glad for that resident’s passing comment.
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