Just Keep Saying "Hey"

A few years ago I was at Embarcadero Station waiting for my train. It was mid-day. There weren't very many people on the platform. There was this guy walking around; saggy pants, ribbed tank top, super stoney, baseball cap with shiny sticker on the brim, shoulder-length dreadlocks. He smelled like Noxema. He sidled up to me and said "Hey." I said "Hey" back. He said "Do you like rap music?" I said "It's OK." He said "Do you want to go out?" I said "No." He shrugged and walked away. A moment later I saw him walk over to another woman on the platform and say "Hey." I chuckled. Just as the my train was pulling away, I saw him approach another woman. "Hey." I chuckled again.Then I thought y'know, that approach is going to work on someone someday,  eventually. There's a girl out there for him and he just has to keep saying "Hey."

I recently found myself without a job. The last time I was jobless I endured 2 years of temp jobs, unemployment checks and food stamps. Except for the food stamps (which saved my life, by the way) it sucked ass. By the end of the two years I had the worst worst worst job hunting fatigue.



I hate job hunting. I really really do. Losing my job this time around, I was filled with dread. Ugh, I have to start job hunting again. You have to be "on" all the time. You have to answer every single phone call, even when you don't recognize the number. You have to wear make up. You have to wear a suit. You can't swear. You have to check your email constantly. You have to answer the same questions over and over and over again. You have to be on your best "meeting the in-laws" behavior all the time. You have to take skills assessments for the programs you told them you know how to do. You have to tune, and re-tune your resume to fit the job description. You have to fill out tiny bubbles in the forms from EDD; did you look for work, did you turn down any work, were you too sick to work, did you get paid anything? Looking for a job full time is like the worst job ever.

But you know what? I do it. I do it because I need a job. I do it because I have a family to feed. I do it because I have bills to pay. I do it, because that's what you have to do when you look for a job. I do it because finding the right job and the right fit is crucial to being successful in your job and being happy in your life. You just have to keep at it. The right fit and the right job is there. You just have to keep at it.

You just have to keep saying "Hey."

And so get this:  It turns out I said "Hey" just the right amount of times. I start a new job on Monday. Yay me! I'm pretty happy about it. I knew from the initial phone call that I would like this place. I'm glad they said "Hey" back.