On Thursday, December 22, I flew to Denver to spend Christmas at my sister's house with my family. I left with the intention of enjoying the four days, and setting aside my job search for when I returned home. By the time I landed in Denver, I had an email from one of my former customers. The President of the company had heard I was no longer with my former employer, and wanted me to fly out to Philadelphia to discuss a job.
Quitting my last job gave me the freedom to say "yes" to exploring any option. That feeling of freedom caught me off guard a little bit, and was such a blessing. Of course, I said yes to the interview.
I had never really considered working for this customer because they were in the fertilizer/industrial chemical business, and my specialty was more in the petroleum markets. I had always respected this company a lot. They were tough but always fair. They had offices all over the world. They worked their people hard, but rewarded them well.
On Monday, December 26, I flew from Denver back to Portland to re-pack a suitcase. Then Tuesday morning I boarded a flight to Philadelphia. The interview process was very interesting. Because I had worked with this company for 5 years already, they had a pretty good idea of my skill set. The interview focused around my 'fit' with the organizations vision and values. Throughout the process, I was excited by the fact that this company wasn't caught up in traditional corporate processes. They knew that the candidates alignment with the company values was the most important thing in the hiring process. All that stuff that is taught in MBA programs across America was actually put into practice here!
On Thursday, December 29th they offered me a job, and I accepted. They wanted me to move to Philadelphia as quickly as possible because there was a new line of business starting, and I would be involved with it.
So after finding an apartment, I returned to Portland to begin moving my life across the country. I would be downsizing from a 2200 sq foot condo to a 759 sq foot apartment. I decided that everything that I did not love or need, had to be sold or donated. Living in downtown Philly, a car would be more of a burden than a necessity, so I also needed to sell my car.
My Mom flew out for a few days to help me put together an estate sale. In two days I sold it all - furniture, garage equipment, grill, decorations, linens, pillows, lamps, plants, wrapping paper, and TVs. The only things I kept were the things in my kitchen cabinets, clothes, a buffet that was a gift and my very favorite thing in my house, a shelf set, tools, art, and my wine fridge.
Movers came to pack me up. I put my house on the market. I sold my car. On January 17th, I boarded a plane with 3 suitcases, and set off for Philadelphia.
At the time of this post I have been here nearly a month. I am living in a boarding house (they call it a B&B, but there is no breakfast, or common area, or hospitality, so boarding house is more accurate). I get to move into my apartment on March 7, and I cannot wait. Living out of a suitcase for more than a month is not very fun. There are some things that I really need - more coats, warm clothes, and my steel-toed shoes. There are some things I really want - a home cooked meal, my Bible dictionary, a comfortable bed.
I also am really enjoying my job. I like all of the people in the office, and the work is fun too. This job is a great fit with my strengths.
The view of Independence Hall as taken from my office. It is awesome to work in a place with such history!
A lot of people have asked how I can drop everything and make such a big change in my life. Well, this isn't the first time that I have done this. In fact, it is the 5th time I have done this. I believe that God opens the door to opportunities for us. It is up to us to decide whether we want to take on the adventure or not. In my case, each of those opportunities have been enormous learning experiences for me. Not all have been incredibly fun, but I have met incredible friends, seen extraordinary places, and grown as an individual.
It will be exciting to see how this chapter is written.
P.S. I am updating my goals since so many are now irrelevant , so watch for a new tab to appear later today.
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