(What does that saying really mean, anyway? When I had a cat years ago, I had to scoop her up in a pillowcase in order to transport her anywhere, because she was terrified of carriers. She would flail around, bite and shriek like a banshee!)

Anyway, I believe it means the news is public, so if I could get a drum roll, please …

Badumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadum …

I have a new job! 🙂

I will start in 17 days, 14 hours and 59 minutes the first week of July, and I’m very excited about it (if you couldn’t tell). In a nutshell, I will be working on gerontology research projects within the School of Social Work. I tried not to get too geeked out when they started talking about analysis and methodologies, but I am stoked about the opportunity to be involved in the research process!

Some of my role will be helping to code qualitative interviews, wrangling various projects that are taking place around the division, keeping track of deadlines, reviewing literature and editing. It sounds fascinating, and I can’t wait to learn more!

This is the situation that I alluded to the other day about trusting God and not feeling like I have to solve everything myself, because, quite frankly, my solutions pale in comparison to what God has in store.

The past several days/weeks/months have been a growing process for me, especially in recent days as the pieces have come together. This experience has taught me to be careful about becoming complacent, to be thankful for my provisions, and to recognize that “my” skills and “my” expertise only exist because of my awesome and amazing Maker.

This new role is a shift in career paths, which is by no means a bad thing, but it does mean that the road looks different. I’m just focusing on learning the way and enjoying the scenery as I travel. For too long, I’ve been staring at the center stripe and anxiously glancing in the rearview mirror. It’s time to look forward, roll down the windows and welcome the fresh air!