Five Years of the Very Best...

Okay, so perhaps not the best play on words with this post's title (there is a reason I am not employed as a writer or editor), but I must admit that five years into my career at Hallmark, I am reminded just how fortunate I have been. Considering how when I submitted my resume all those years ago, I never thought I would get a call back let alone a job, I have done pretty well. Fate, fortune, or something like that seems to have conspired in my favor, allowing me to move from an on-call position to a permanent, full-time job that allows me to work with some of the most intelligent, talented people I have ever met. They also happen to be some of the funniest and kindest, too. If I could, I would describe what it is I do, but I have learned from past experiences, trying to explain the strange alchemy of metadata, Excel spreadsheets, and Hallmark.com often results in my audience falling into a trance from which it is hard to rouse them. Best not ask for details, and just know that I have been reassured numerous times that whatever it is I do is working, and since nothing has imploded, exploded, or failed miserably, I will go along with this assessment.

But really, I do not want to talk about me or my specific job. Instead, I wanted to shine a light on my awesome co-workers who made me feel like what I do matters and, more importantly, that perhaps I matter. (Yes, my insecurities run that deep. I came into my current position completely overwhelmed, and it has taken me about two and a half years even to think that I have a grasp on what I am doing...and it has taken me almost as long to get to know my co-workers better. If I were to be honest, they still intimidate me a bit. Not in a bad way--it is more like the kind of awe one experience's when encountering someone who seems to know anything and everything...but I digress.) So, anyway, there was a little party to celebrate my anniversary. I had requested cupcakes and celebration that was to be low-key. I am not one for much attention, and I was freaking out even thinking about having to stand in front of the cupcakes as my manager Jen handed me the Crown pin and card. I kept telling myself that people were coming for cupcakes and cupcakes alone. Still, it was nice to see my friends from my old department as well as those from my current department gather round, chatting with one another. When the moment came, there was no speech, no embarrassing spotlight placed directly on me. Instead, Jen simply handed me an envelope with a completely different kind of surprise.

Inside there was a passport, filled with warm wishes and pictures of my travels with my co-workers superimposed onto some of my favorite memories. It was amazing. I stared at it in shock and found myself blinking back tears. Even now, I do not know if I have conveyed to my co-workers why this gift was so touching. It isn't just the fact that it is an awesome idea that does a good job to reflect my personal interests, but that they took the time to think of something so perfect and then took the time to mock it up, adding their personal touches wherever they could.  That they would take the time to do this for ME is more than I can fathom. I am not used to having something like that done for me, (I can only think of one other time, and to this day I am embarrassed by how I reacted to that...but that can wait until another blog post) and since I had thought I had done everything possible to become one with the background while at work, that my friends at work still noticed blew me away. I meant it when I said that the best part of coming to work each day is my co-workers.

Throughout the day, I had several others congratulate me and tell me what a good job I do, some of whom I would never have thought noticed what I do. While I cannot vouch for the actual veracity of their statements (I try my best, I really do...but I cannot help but wonder what I can do better), I can say that it made me feel like I belonged. And, to be honest, that is often something I long for. Probably something we all long for. I just wish that I had been better able to capture what it meant to me in this post...sadly, this long rambling missive does a poor job conveying what I wish it could. I don't know why I have had this opportunity to work with the very best (tying in the title yet again), but I am grateful for the opportunity, and no matter where the next five years take me, these five years have meant a lot to me.