assistant to the regional manager

I have a title. I am the client resource manager. I also am getting business cards, which seems a bit much, and I definitely do not want to hand out my cell number to people I don't know. Not because I worry about people having my number, because I won't hear/see it ringing in real time anyway. I just don't want my personal number to be anyone's emergency number outside of my family, because my phone is always on silent and if you need an immediate response...I am NOT the person. I also believe that our personal cellphones should not be integrated into our jobs. There needs to be a separation there. 

You are not your job. Thank you, Tyler Durden. 

You are not your cellphone either.

I am actually excited about this, because I believe good things are going to happen from these changes that have been made at the food bank. We have a director that is actually a go-getter and stays true to the promises she makes, and I know she is going to support me. Plus it is really nice to have someone ask my opinion. Normally people just ask me where stuff is, or if I can print off a document for them, or call a landlord/utility department/pharmacy/hotel for them.

I had a meeting on Thursday with a local agency and it was super informative. Our director was introducing me to all these people she knows and if anyone asked about "where I came from," as in what previous experience I had, Sarah always said, "Deanna has been a volunteer at the food bank for eight years. She has such a heart for this and it was obviously the next logical step." She has said to me numerous times, and bragged to so many people, "Deanna's memory is AMAZING. She can remember all these clients and knows every single landlord in the county. It blows me away." Blows me away a little that I can't remember what day of the week it is or what I wore yesterday, but I can maintain a running tally of unpaid rental agreements and utility bills for 20+ clients at any given time. (This has to be God, because it sure ain't me.)

Peppy had come to pick up Owsley from the food bank on Thursday since I had meetings to go to, and he met Sarah for the first time. He texted me this:

I am not posting this to make myself look good, because y'all read this. Y'all know I'm a bit of a loony with a portion of my brain chomped out. I can't stop thinking about this book that I studied with a friend and her small group, called The Joseph Calling. It was about how sometimes God will place us in a spot that doesn't necessarily make sense, but if we trust his will over our own, doors will open and down the line you're going to understand the divine providence. And that's really what it feels like. When I started volunteering I only wanted to be in the back making bags. I am introverted and pretty avoidant. But then over time I was slowly moved up the front in the accounting area, then I started making the schedule and met every single new volunteer, and now I am slowly being molded into director material. 

And I honestly wouldn't even begin to fathom this idea without Sarah. We compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses so well, it's really a total yin yang thing. I have been asked numerous times in the past to be the office manager and I flat out said no. Maybe the timing wasn't right then, but I truly believe most of it is because of Sarah. Someone like her, who is rooting for everyone under her, would be the ideal boss. 

It makes me tear up that she has known me for almost a year and despite my mental failings, she has faith in me. She knows I'm kooky, and a little impulsive, and that I am sometimes difficult to read due to my deadpan resting face, and yet she still believes I can do this. 

I do need to be better about pre-planning what I am going to wear for the week, because it is easy for me to become frozen when I'm trying to figure out what to wear. Almost like too many options causes overstimulation in my brain, resulting in me becoming a living statue. Or sometimes I just think "I don't want to wear any of this." (My general wardrobe in public is a tank top with a cardigan. Fail/fool proof and you can basically mix and match everything.) Anything current Deanna can do to give future Deanna a bit of a helping hand. Gotta look out for future me. I also need a paper day planner and maybe these reminder bracelets.