Gratitude Journal #19
Last week, I commented that it had been a crazy two weeks… Well, the crazy continued for one more. I knew it was going to. This is standard end of the year crazy for my job, but it is still crazy. I am quite happy now that most of the big events for work are over for the year (there is still the promotion party to go, but that is on a much smaller scale ). And now, I get to concentrate on the actual main part of my job – finances, as we are at the end of the state two year budget cycle, and our fiscal year/biennium closes on June 30.
Gratitutde Entry #44 – My AMAZING Co-Workers
It is likely I have been grateful for my work team before. And I thought maybe I should not repeat that, but the truth is, these folks are worth being grateful for many times over. And the end of the academic year really brings it home. We have our two biggest, public facing events generally within a week of each other. This time, they were only two working days apart.
Two Fridays ago, we had our Open House, where all of our graduating seniors and a majority of our graduating Masters students present their capstone projects. It is a large event, with their friends and family, but also the organizations that sponsored their projects, our industry partners and alumni who we invite to come judge the projects.
Then, on Tuesday, we had our department graduation ceremony. This also involves wrangling all of our faculty into their appropriate regalia. Safety pins are a requirement.
Both of these events are all hands on deck for the staff of my department. Open House runs until 7p, and still has clean up afterwards. Every year, we have staff who volunteer to work their entire regular day, and then stay for Open House, helping the Events Manager and myself make sure everything goes smoothly. Graduation is during work hours, but it requires everyone to step away from their desks and their regular work to come help with set-up at the start. For two hours, every single staff member from our department is running to ad fro, putting up signs and balloons, directing students and their families, helping faculty into regalia, just doing everything that needs to be done to make sure the event goes perfectly. And it does.
In my five years with the department, I have never had a staff member ask if they really have to help out with an event. It is always – What do you need me to do? Some people cannot stay late for things like Open House, but then they always make sure to pitch in during set up or prep, and help where they can before the end of their day. It does not matter if they are a student advisor, a grants manager, an IT manager, faculty assistant, or fiscal support. Everyone pitches in. We are truly a team.
I love my job. Working in spreadsheets and making sense of finances is my thing. And I like a lot of HR duties, especially helping people reach their next steps in their career. But regardless of the duties, I would not love my job nearly as much if it were not for the amazing team I get to work with. Every single day these folks make coming into the office something I look forward to. And for the end of the academic year, when the crazy hits, they make getting through it smooth sailing.
Gratitude Entry #45 – Ice Cream in the Middle of the Day
To match the crazy events of the week, Seattle weather decided to go crazy itself. Tuesday was 80 degrees. Wednesday was 90 degrees. Thursday we were back to 80, and on Friday we were in the mid 70s. Seattle is not really meant to get to 90 degrees, certainly not in early June. And I work on the 4th floor of a building with no AC. (I am NOT grateful for this.) At least the elevator was working this year (as opposed to last).
So on Wednesday, I decided to get ice cream bars for all the staff in the afternoon. And it was glorious. On a hot and miserable day, stuck in a building with no AC, there is nothing like taking a few moments to just sit and eat an ice cream bar, have a conversation with a co-worker, and just take a break, from work, from the heat, from it all. Ice cream is magic.
