Passion Pondering

 

I sit on my tiny little patio this evening nursing a glass of cheap wine musing over the last few years of my professional history. There are some positions I liked more than others, but with every job, I found some semblance of enjoyment and put my best foot forward. My parents raised me to have a solid work ethic regardless of ones interest in the trade.

I once set up shop in a vast sunken work area lovingly referred to as “pod-topia” for the local government where I determined eligibility for medical benefits and helped parents find affordable housing and employment. I felt like I was making a real difference in my community. Here I began to form an idea of how I wanted to further my education and career. I was sadly disappointed when my time there was unexpectedly, and wrongfully, terminated.

Following this, I held titles on both coasts for a nationwide nonprofit that gave me an enormous amount of satisfaction. Even on the days that took every ounce out of me, I went home feeling as though I had improved the quality of living of the elderly. This lead to a short term at an organization working one on one with hospice patients giving them dignity in the face of death, honoring their final wishes and offering berevement resources to their families.  Again; a position that reinforced my desire to help others.

Since then I have bounced around at a variety of administrative jobs that offered no definitive career satisfaction, yet provided opportunities and friendships I would otherwise not benefitted from. One situation was at a company that made daily tasks quite challenging to all its employees. Here we feigned enthusiasm for our jobs, but formed bonds of friendship I bet my bottom dollar will last the rest of my life. I had another brief venture at a television station where I had the opportunity to meet a lot of local personalities and learn about a business I had never before considered remotely interesting. Many evenings were filled with movie premiers, cd release parties and hosting functions. For the time I was there my life was quite exciting.

Through all these experiences, the underlying commonality was my compassion for helping people in society, regardless of the area of expertise. I now find myself becoming interested in furthering my administrative repertoire in the health care arena. Although I have had quite a collection of random pursuits in the medical field I somehow have strayed from this, what I originally thought to be my calling. I will continue my quest in helping others; that is something that will never change.

My question is; can people have more than one career passion in life?