Tuesday, June 2, 2009

David Got a Job!

David has been offered a summer job with Argosy Cruises! I can't quite put into words how happy I am about this.
I have been praying, "Thy will be done" while waiting for the answer, after his interview!

Argosy is a great company. They donate two cruises every summer to Camp Goodtimes, and that is just part of their generosity. If you go to their website, you can read about their corporate culture and history; it's interesting, and their values are excellent. We had the pleasure of meeting the owners at the Camp Goodtimes benefit in March, and they are a kind, caring and sincere couple.

It's so important to learn about the working world when we are young. David has been exposed to many wonderful, beautiful "things" (and experiences) of this world, and it is vital that he experience what it costs to earn the money for them. I think we choose differently, once we realize how many hours of our time will be needed to purchase an item that we desire. I keep telling him, You will pay for what you buy with your time, which is really your life. That's why it's so essential to listen deeply about what you are called to do. I didn't learn this in my education; I'm still working on it, and I want David to know better than I did.

Working for money raises a lot of conflicting feelings within me, because of my background and temperament. I worked for my dad's company when I was David's age, and during vacations from college; I worked there again later, after I was married. It's different to apply for a job with your dad, than it is with strangers. We were given mixed messages at home regarding women in the workforce. This was 30+ years ago, and the women in my family did not work for money; I did not expect to need to work for money, but it turned out to be necessary. I had a lot of anxiety around that, applying for my first job after graduating from college. I made a poor choice (the job was a terrible fit for me), and then I repeated that cycle many, many times, eventually finding work that I liked - but never work that I loved - until I became a full-time homemaker, nine years ago.
I WASN'T PREPARED.

This is one of the things that I want to be different for David: I want him to be prepared, to expect to work, and to be so accustomed to seeking, getting and having a job, that he doesn't worry about it. But I also want him to love what he chooses to do, so that his life will be fulfilling. Having a lot of money isn't so important when you are happy with your daily life.

You can see that I may be projecting some of my unfinished business onto him; I can see it, too, and I told him openly that this might be the case. It doesn't mean that this is a bad idea for him. We just need to be clear about our boundaries: what is my inner work, and what is his work, are not necessarily the same.

Today, I am truly, deeply thankful for this opportunity for David to join a wonderful company, and give them his time and energy, as they teach him valuable lessons.
Above is a photo of an Argosy "Christmas Ship," on which we cruised in December, 2007.

14 comments:

Dawn said...

Congratualations David....and what a wonderful place to work. Enjoy your job & summer!

Dawn

AnnDeO said...

Such wisdom from a mother. I struggle with this too with my boys. My oldest took a job at a collection agency making phone calls and it was awful for him, regardless of the money, now he travels to Nevada and the Missouri River Basin doing rare plant surveys and truly enjoys it.

Jennifer Stumpf said...

You are so right, Karen. First off, good for David! I know of too many young people who just "live off the fat" instead of getting out there and learning for themselves what it's all about. The struggle to find a job that fits still buggers me to this day. I never learned that lesson either and I've paid for it, as well, over and over and over again, making bad choices because I thought they were the only choices. And this is still my life, dictated by necessity. Money is nice, for certain, but a job you loathe will kill your spirit. It's a tough nut to crack.

ChiTown Girl said...

Congratulations, David! I hope you enjoy every minute of it!

Busy Bee Suz said...

Such wonderful pictures...you and David had the exact SAME beautiful smile!!! Did you ever notice this???
I am so happy he has found a job...this should be a good experience for him.
I think you are giving him really good messages...you are trying to teach him, what took you so long to learn yourself. Nothing wrong with that!!!

Elizabeth said...

You are such a wonderful mother, Karen, and I will remember your wise words as my own two boys grow. And congratulations to beautiful David -- may he find his life's work and make a little money to boot!

pysanki.blogspot.com said...

Way to go David!

Anonymous said...

Way to go! What a great experience for him - tell him good luck and have a fun summer!

Renee said...

Karen I have had to work all my life and so have my kids.

I think it is a good thing for David to have a job and a wonderful company is a great thing for him because he can learn that a person can enjoy their work.

Super excited for him.

Love Renee xoxoxo

Jennifer said...

Sounds like David will have a great summer! Kudos to him!

Your self-awareness, Karen, is such a healthy and beautiful thing to see. And, in my opinion, a rare thing too. I believe you are crowning him with excellent counsel, and yet you are really sensitive to the fact that, while your words ARE gems, good things for him to learn/know, you might be foisting some of your "unfinished work" upon him. It's really easy, I think, for most people to just overlook that and think, "But I'm SPARING him from all the stuff I had to go through!" -- if they stop to check themselves at all.

This reminded me of when you, your husband and David went to visit a prospective college for David, and you and David both had different agendas and ideas of how you wanted that day to go. Your wisdom kicked in when you realized that was the case, and you changed how you were handling the situation. Such a cool thing to see.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. And I gotta say, again, that I love how much you respect both David and Katie as individuals in their own right; that comes through in nearly everything you write. (Hey, speaking of writing, I believe you could write a KICKIN' book on parenting, my friend!)

Jennifer

Meg said...

That is so awesome!! I'm really jealous, I would love to have a job like that for this summer. I've been looking but I'm in the NYC area and its really difficult to find anything good. I think I'll just be doing a lot of regular babysitting and pray I can get enough hours!

Is David saving his summer earnings for college or is he allowed to spend some? My parents have a rule that 1/3 of what I earn needs to go right into my savings account...but I'm starting to feel guilty about choosing one of the most expensive colleges in the country (eeeek) so I've been trying to put more towards that. :)

Meg

P.S The picture is so cute!

Anonymous said...

"I want him to be prepared, to expect to work, and to be so accustomed to seeking, getting and having a job, that he doesn't worry about it. But I also want him to love what he chooses to do, so that his life will be fulfilling."

You are so wise. I've never thought about work that way until now, and it seems like a very healthy attitude to have. I will have to remember this for my boys as they get older.

Lakeland Jo said...

well done David- he really is a handsome young man. He has your lovely smile too. I am sure he will enjoy his new job too.
I liked your post about reflections on family business, the importance of work values, and projections ( I wish more parents were aware of this- I come across it a lot in my work- I used to specialise in family business work!!).
Still enjoying the beautiful state of Washington, and the San Juans were incredible. I left a ( large) part of my heart there and want to go back next year. ( July - plan for next trip as we will have teenager with us).

Dawn said...

Been thinking about you a lot these past couple of days...and if I am thinking about you, well then I am PRAYING for you!

Just wanted to say hello!

Love,
Dawn