Career

There were two professions I wanted to be when I grew up. The first was a nurse.  Well, the nurse idea bit the bullet long before it was a full-fledged glimmer in my eye. I thought I wanted to be a Candy Striper at a local hospital. You know, deliver some flowers, get an extra blanket and fluff a pillow. I was allll excited to do this UNTIL the person who was training me told me there was a morgue in the hospital. Whaaa? A morgue IN the hospital? Cue the heebie jeebies for this little 16 year old. I could feel my face whiten and something akin to panic start in my stomach. I had a severe case of ‘flight, fight or freeze.’  I took flight. I couldn’t burn out of that hospital fast enough.

I don’t know why I was so traumatized by the thought that there were bodies in a hospital. I mean, did I think everyone got better? Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know why I had such a major reaction to that little tidbit of news. I DO know it took me months to return my Candy Striper uniform.  😉 I was just that freaked out. That effectively ended my thoughts of being a nurse.

The other profession was an actor (back then women were called ‘actresses’ and men were ‘actors’). Now that one DID take flight. I loved being on stage and acting. I loved it. I had a real affinity for it. I performed in plays throughout my high school years and then musicals after I graduated.  Yes, I said ‘musicals’ and yes, I sang. In public. Without the aid of a shower. To lots and lots of people. Me. Singer. Once upon a time.

While I was in high school, my DECA teacher told me he set up an interview for a part-time teller position at a local bank. Ok. Coolio.  Up until then my main source of income was as the “World’s Richest Babysitter” as one family lovingly called me and working in the camera section of White Drug. Banking? Why not?

Little did I know that interview would be the start of my 21-year career. I moved from being a teller to the Consumer Lending side. There I processed loans but I really, REALLY wanted to be a loan officer. Not much later I became a Direct Consumer Lending Underwriter. It was better than a Loan Officer (in my eyes) as I didn’t have to deal with customers. I dealt with branch personnel who dealt with customers. I loved, LOVED that job. But, as you fellow bankers know, time marches on in the acquisition world of banking and my beloved bank was taken over by another.

I moved on to a few different positions until my final position as an Internal Auditor for the ND branch offices.   I tell ya, I have an eye for detail and I was goooooood at picking up on what people wanted to hide. I didn’t even know I was an intuitive back then.

Long story short, I was quite happy in banking. I didn’t have a college degree as I opted to go full-time right out of high school. I was being promoted regularly so I must have been doing something right.  My dad finally quit saying, “You should go to college” after I received my fourth or fifth promotion. That was a relief because college never did hold any appeal to me. I completely get where my dad was coming from. He knew how important a college degree would be even back in the early 80’s.

Fast forward to 2001. My banking career is over. I was burned out and didn’t want to go back into banking. I just felt restless, like there was something else for me. I received a great severance payment so I was comfortable taking some time off to heal from the loss of my marriage, job and career.   I worked at what I called, ‘fun networking’ jobs but, as usual, I was bored rather quickly.  Interesting fact about me, once I figure things out I am bored by the repetition of it all.

I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. Can you imagine? At age 17 I was in what would become my career. I didn’t job hop. I stayed with the same bank. So what to do for the old benjamins. What to do…..

Oh gee. I think I’ll open up a business that is based on energy work. And, oh yeah, I’m going to incorporate intuitive messages with this energy work. Yep, that goes over really well in a conservative, conventional, meat and potatoes kind of life.

But I did it. My mom was gone by then and I was scared to tell my dad. Bless his beautiful heart, he said, “Well, I guess that’s alright. Will you be able to support yourself?”   I smile at this memory as my dad is gone now too, and I totally understand what he was and wasn’t saying.

Sometimes life takes turns that you wouldn’t even dare think about. If someone had told me I’d be finished with my banking career at age 38, I wouldn’t have believed them. But look how beautifully this was all orchestrated. Can you imagine all the events or things that had to go into making this happen? I left a very comfortable, acceptable, sound career and started one that is very esoteric, un-logical and incredibly rewarding.

While I may not be in the acting profession, I’m very comfortable delivering the channeled messages, being in front of a crowd or in the spotlight. I may not be a nurse, but I am helping to heal people. Doing my Work fulfills both my childhood aspirations. Interesting how it all worked out, huh?

Ain’t life grand?