SPEEDBUMP on the Highway !!!!!

Can you imagine what it'd be like...you're going 65-85 mph (depends what state you live in!) on a major highway and with no warning and out of nowhere....BAM!!!!!.... You hit a speedbump?!#?@#!

That's exactly how I feel right now. Completely in shock, disolutioned, angry because I didn't have any warnings and saddened by the damage it's has or will cause!

OK, so I didn't really hit a speed bump on the highway...at least not in the technical sense of the words. It's the proverbial "Highway of Life", yet again, with unexpected and unplanned changes.

I'll try to give you a very brief rundown. After nearly 15 years of being a stay at home mom, divorce forced me to jump back into the rat race. BUT, ( yea, there's always a "but" in my stories!) I eased into the change..started at a bottom level position, making nearly nothing just to get back into the work routine. As time passed, the "former" me ( before being a SAHM ) started to show back up and I was excited about the company I was working for and the opportunities for growth within my grasp. When a shift manager position fell into my lap, I took some time, prayed about it, weighed the changes it would mean with more responsibility on the job and maybe being not as available to my kids as they were used to. With their ages of 18, 14 and 9, their need for me to be home all the time has changed greatly and I decided to go with it! The last year, while still adjusting to working a full time job, has been really great! I love the company and the people I work with and started to feel that it was really meant to be.

In September, my General Manager (GM) let me know that he was ready to take a store closer to his home, as he drives an hour each way, every day. My initial reaction was that I did NOT want his job! The added hours, stress and responsibility...I thought of a million reasons why I did not want to fill his shoes. BUT, ( told you there'd be another BUT in my story! )over the next few weeks I started to realize that I might actually be meant to take the GM position. My marketing background and local connections, being in my hometown, have been a huge plus and it began to seem only natural that I would takeover as GM, instead of transferring another GM from another store and causing our small town store to go through even more changes. I got excited and it continued to build. My goals kicked into career mode, as if I'd not had a 15 year lapse:)

The store he wanted to transfer to became available and I was rushed to do the "formal" interview/meeting with other GM and District Mgrs. Everyone seemed to approve and agree that I would be taking over the store. I just had to get to a training session at another NC store location, and then we'd have the green light.

And so I waited. And waited. Twiddled my thumbs and waited some more. October passed. November passed. Christmas came and went. Each time I asked when I would be scheduled to finalize my training, something else came up to delay. So at Christmas, I asked again and was told it would be the first of the year, that the year end budget just couldn't send me, so First of the year, no doubt.

Okay. HEELLLLOOOOOO !!! Today is January 20th. I was told I got the promotion in September AND received a nice pay increase to help me wait on! For the last week I've been back and forth about how firm I needed to be or not be when asking for training dates one more time. I got my answer today. "The company has decided since we demoted all Asst. Mgrs. to hourly pay from salary, that it would be better to transfer someone from another store."

I think THAT needs a moment of silence..........

Within an hours time, I've very quickly been reminded of why I was so ready to leave the workforce to become a stay at home mom....why when I did desire to go back to work, I opened my own business and swore I would NEVER work for anyone else again. Ultimately, your future, your finances,etc.etc., is in their hands. THANK GOD I learned that lesson years ago and still live basically debt free (only a car payment!)and still obsessively budget, coupon, hunt deals and all that I do to extend every single penny that I'm entrusted with. That's a whole other story....so let me get back on track.

So ummmm.....yea....Do I keep working for a company knowing there is no more room for pay increases or promotion? I have never believed in just "putting your time in". Do I look for another job? Do I go back to putting more into my work from home efforts? I'm still in shock that what was promised to me and what I've been planning on for the past 4 monthes, has now been taken away.

I know there is always a lesson to learn, always a Bigger plan and it does Always work out for the best, but at this moment, I just want to sit on my pity pot, for at least a couple hours :)



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