Just Accepted the Job!! (Woot!)

 Many of you know that I am an author, and because I am an author I write, I need time to write, so I have to make choices from time to time as to whether or not I want to work a regular job and try to find time to write, or if I want to write and try to find work that supports my need to be off work to write. Let me just say that UNTIL NOW, I have had no luck whatsoever finding an employer who gave a ding about my writing; it was 100% about them, their bottom line, and that's just the way it was. UNTIL NOW!!

    So, here's what happened -- JESUS HAPPENED!!  A little over 62 years ago I was born, and just about 14 years later, I had to find a job.  That's how it worked back then.  You worked, you gave your parents the money, they gave you an allowance, and if you ate your vegetables and kept your room clean, they may throw in a bit more now and again. (Things have changed, you know.)

    Well, I've worked so long and for so many people doing so many things, that it would be a book in and of itself to go through all the places, the positions, the assignments, the pay, the lack of pay, the lies, the sorrows, the joys, and then there were the times I needed to work and couldn't find it. Let's just agree that God is so good, He is just so very very very wonderful. EVERY time I have needed Him, He has been there, and He has made things happen for me that literally could not be accredited or attributed to anything other than His Grace!

    So, about this job in particular; I sought it. I wrote a little e-mail and sent it to over 60 insurance agents in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area saying the same thing. I attached my resume with it, and I gave them my LinkedIn profile link as well. I believe in both telling the truth and proving my point. I wanted them to know I was worth speaking to. My education, my work experiences, and my ability to close a sale have always been top priorities when I sought work in the insurance industry. I've been in it and around it since 1983.

    The email stated that I'm about to take my Social Security Administration allowance -- my retirement; and I'm about to semi-retire. Believe me, I won't make enough on Social Security to actually retire and pay all my bills, but it will be enough to help me seek and accept a part-time position as a lead generator and appointment setter for someone in the industry who has less time to do that sort of thing; someone who wants to spend more time actually closing sales and raking in the revenue.

    The email was sent to over or about 60 people. The fact that eight people contacted me one way or the other is a good return. Usually, a 2% return is expected. Eight out of sixty is a 13.33% return; so much better.  There was ONE guy who was rude, telling me I had no business demanding what I was saying in the email and if I had any self-respect I wouldn't beg for work. OK...he's a jerk, and I wouldn't work for him anyway, he couldn't handle my laughter, my fun, my style, or my penchant to be really bright and cheery for no damn good reason whatsoever!! NEXT!

    There were a few who said they were unable to hire me, but they loved my email, loved my enthusiasm, and said they wished me the best. There were three, however, who did want to hire me and on my terms. The first one to pull the trigger got my OK, and I'm glad the one who did ask first actually asked. I liked him from the beginning. I could tell we were going to hit it off. His office (though I work from home) is close and it's next to a really cool grocery store where I can get bulk licorice, jelly beans, and loose tea...he wins.

    The real thing was MY TERMS had to be met. He thought it was wonderful that I had terms. He thought it was great that I set them out and asked for them expecting them. He wanted to know if I was a Christian because I did use the word "faith", and I told him I was. He is too. We agreed that when the Rapture comes my employment will be terminated!! (IYKYK)

    My terms you ask? Well, I wanted to work three days a week, and only three days. I wanted to work seven (7) hours a day and not eight (8). I wanted to work from home, and I wanted to use their laptop to keep their information off my personal computer. He liked that part the best. He was absolutely OK with my days and hours because Mondays are catch-up days, and Fridays are close-down wind-up days, so working Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9-4 makes sense. No one wants a call before 9:00 a.m. and no one wants a call after 4:00 p.m. I know this because I've been in and around the business for so long.

    He and I agreed on the salary, and he knows he's not paying me benefits. He doesn't have to. I'm older now, I get them from the state. He doesn't take my taxes out, and he doesn't have to. I can do that. I can use 1/3 of my rent and 1/3 of my car as deductions and I'll end up paying less tax since it's part-time anyway. Good for me, good for him. Win-Win...GOD IS SO AWESOME!  (God is the one who gave me the idea about the email in the first place.) LOVE IT.

    So, I was hired today, contingent on me passing my background and having binding authority with his company. That will take about a week. I was given the binding authority for that company in 2021, nothing has changed, so it will just be a form and waiting for it. As for the background check? Well, the only people I actually murder are fictional, and I only commit crimes in my head or on paper through published works of fiction - - should be good.

    Woot!! Do the dance!! In June or so I'll move out to my own place, work from home in my jammies and write like the maniac I am - - until then, I'll work from home in my jammies and write like the maniac I am, but I'll do so sharing a place with my middle child. God is great. God is wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better middle child. She's the epitome of a perfect middle child. God knows, because He's God, that I could not live with my son, and I could not live with my baby - - nope. LOVE THEM...but yeah, no. 

    Can't wait!! I have to do it now, I have to do the dance again and give God the glory for it. Woo Hoo!!!  (Oh, and so you know, I will change my LinkedIn status, but won't say where I'm working. I'll continue to say for Stringfellow Agency since I'm a 1099. I won't say the name or even the carrier of the firm I'm with. I don't need anyone being silly and causing waves. People do that you know, it's the world we live in today.)

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