Motivation Monday

AMEN!

I know we all have them. Those rotten Monday's when you feel like the weekend took everything out of you, and now you have to force yourself back into the work week. And it'll start all over again in another week. And so on and so forth.

So, what gets a body up and moving on Monday morning?

How about working a job where you feel you've made some contribution and it's recognized! Yep. We've all worked for someone in our lives who could give a rat's.... oh sorry... could care less about us. They may tease us with their "You're the best worker I've ever had!" but will talk down about you behind your back. "You should see what a slob that woman is! Her desk is always a mess, and she never wears any trendy clothes. Just those baggy shirts and baggy pants! You'd think she shopped at the Goodwill!" Yeah, I've heard that one, and several others, before.

Lucky for me, several years ago I was laid off from work due to my health. (Yes, it was lucky! Let me explain!) I was a nurse working in geriatrics. I was spending more time in the hospital than in my job place, and my husband and my doctor told me it was time for me to quit working. Well, I wasn't raised to just sit, which is what I had to do. I was on oxygen 24/7. Not a lot that left me able for. So I joined an MLM (I won't name it here, because you probably have all been invited to join it by a friend or family member). I loved sales.  And I did very well with it. In about 6 months I had replaced my income as nurse.

And then the big "A" came along. What is the big "A". No it's not some form of cancer. The big is "A" for me was when I got so sick, and had to see my doctor and they couldn't find anything wrong. Except when I told my doctor that I was selling products that contained a certain allergen free oil, and was tested. I was working for a product company that touted all of it's products were natural and non-allergenic. Except, guess what? The "A" was that I was "allergic" to the main ingredient!

So I was back at square one. I didn't just want to work at home. I wanted to work at home doing something I truly enjoyed. And I started out using my sewing skills, and knitting and crocheting items for sale. I rarely made more than what it cost me to make an item. It seems that if an item is handmade, there is little room for hourly wage, since something similar can be purchased from a company who imports from a 3rd world country for pennies on the dollar.

Then I remembered a writing task I had when I was in college. It was in my Sociology class, and explored our ancestry. I had done a little investigating then. But it was only what was required for the class, but I knew I liked it. I knew I would enjoy it. So I began to research how to do an ancestral search. And I began working on my own family tree.

I was so blessed to be mentored by a very great lady who had done a lot of family research on my Dad's side of the family. She and her husband. And I'm talking long distance searches! Nothing stood in her way! And so, armed with a book she'd put together of our family, I began to add it to the free family genealogy software that was then offered on FamilySearch.org.

And then I began to see comments from individuals whose names were repeated on many different sights I found through research. And it wasn't long before I belonged to several groups, and research studies.

Yes, that genealogy bug bit, and it bit hard.

That was nearly twenty years ago. And I'm still performing research for my own tree, and occasionally for others as well. I closed the door partially to my business after Ancestry.com became so huge! People with little to no money were happy to spend a couple of hundred dollars and get access to what they could find at that one site, and were not happy when I explained at times there would be travel and other expenses to tack onto their bill. (I still get asked, "Can't you do it all from your computer?")

A few years ago, after clientele began to drop off somewhat, I went back to work in geriatrics. This time loaded with a social workers degree on top of my nursing license. And I am doing a job that I absolutely love! It allows me to go into the homes of the elderly, and work with them as a care manager, to prevent hospitalizations, trips to the E.R., or even nursing home placement. I am the one who organizes their care and plans for their health. I teach, I supervise, I advise, and I love. Whatever they need doing, I find a way to get it done. Once I even sponsored a "Go Fund Me" page for a couple who had no income, but had an electric bill that was astronomical. They were without power for almost 3 months. But we got the bill paid, and gave them a little extra to keep going until we could get them some public assistance.

And yes, I miss the fun times I had while performing genealogy research. I loved seeing the nonsensical come to life! Finding the missing puzzle pieces! But I love the job I work now as well. I use many of those same research principles to find out things I need to know in this job.

The really great thing is, that whether I am home for a day and working genealogy for myself or a client, or I go out on the road and am doing research to help a senior citizen stay healthy, I am happy. Even when Monday's roll around.

And for that, I give God the credit. He has placed me in a time and place where I get the best of both jobs that I truly enjoy. So, Thank God for Monday's!