The Job Brought Me Home

As most of you know, my last job was probably the most "dream job" I could have ever imagined. However, it's possible that I should have been more aware of the fact that "dream jobs" are just that. When you hear or see something that is too good to be true... ya know?

My new job is a whole new ball of wax. Rather than focusing my energy on selling, I get to really get inside the heads of area business owners to see what makes them tick. They give me information on what works... and what doesn't work. I also spend more of my time attending meetings, events, conferences, and programs than you can imagine.

Yeah, even more than that.
Keep going... keep going...
Yeah, about THAT many... and now add a couple more for good measure.

What I like MOST about this job is that I work Downtown.
When I drive in to work in the morning, the first thing I do is find a spot in the cement jungle. I secure my car in the parking structure, take the elevator down to street level, and that's when it hits me. As I walk the 1/2 block to the office, I catch a whiff of the city.

Most days, it's that wet, fishy smell that reminds you that you're just a few blocks away from Lake Michigan. But, on other days, my nostrils fill with the odor of a freshly fired wood-burning oven that emanates from one of the local eateries. On days like that, I find myself feeling almost nostalgic. My scent memories take over -- and suddenly, I'm pulled back to those cool spring days I spent on my travels to Seattle. The days when I woke up, first thing, and enjoyed my eggs with a side of tender wine-braised octopus. The days when I didn't need coffee to get me going... but, coffee was EVERYWHERE if I wanted it.

As I walk, I realize that there's a lot I love about this city that smells of beer and ale wives. Cuz it's not just beer and ale wives.
My job has opened me up to a new way of looking at Milwaukee. I'm meeting new people. Seeing old places with new eyes. Getting around to all the hidden little spots I'd typically overlook because I've lived here too long. I've become a tourist (of sorts) in my own city. And that's pretty kewl.

So far, that's what the new job is like. It's new. It's good. And it's fun.
It's the best of the past... and the promise of the future. All rolled into one. And it's made me genuinely appreciate this city that I call home.

Srsly. What could be better than that?