Yesterday I was employed...now I'm not!

So, it has been a really long week (getting up at 6 to exercise has made nap time for the girls nap time for me, too!) and I haven't really gotten the ambition to write much.

Last week our parish's Knights of Columbus sponsored two showings of the movie "Bella". So, I was home with the girls two nights while hubby got to hang out at the theatre (he took me out on Friday to see "Juno", so that made up for it...hmmm...maybe it IS a little weird that both movies are about unplanned pregnancies...) Anyhow, in the hanging out at the theatre, he talked with the theatre manager and found out that they were still looking for a couple of projectionists. They told him how flexible and wonderful they were with scheduling, and that the projectionists could work as much or as little as they wanted.

My last job (before Charlotte) was as a projectionist at our old town's theatre, which I really enjoyed. At that point in time, both hubby and I worked for the theatre because we really did need the money to make ends meet. But, a little bit of a hobby job with a small amount of extra money coming in our house sounded appealing, so hubby brought me home an application and I filled it out and sent it back.

Fast forward to Wednesday: I get a call from one of the board members (the theatre just converted to a non-profit...that's why they needed projectionists) offering me the job. I chatted with her about it a little bit...got the details...still sounded very flexible (in other words, flexible for ME...not flexible for THEM like hubby's job!) She gave me the theatre manager's number to set up training and scheduling.

I gave the theatre manager a call on Thursday, and she asked me to come in that evening to start training on the projector for the run-through. So, I got there 10 minutes early (she was 10 minutes late) and we had to wait another 10 minutes while she found a projectionist (the two board members that run the projector weren't available, so she called the other paid one...who happens to be her son-in-law), they showed me the ropes...fairly similar to what I've worked with before...and the theatre manager told me to work out the schedule with the other paid projectionist.

He told me that he has been working every Friday and Saturday, and wouldn't like to lose too many days because the money he earns goes towards his hobby car. He also told me that he wouldn't work on any Sundays, because it is the Lord's day. All well and good, but the theatre shows a movie Friday night, Saturday night, and two on Sundays. So, they didn't bother to tell me that mostly they needed someone to work Sundays. Dilemma number two, the theatre manager told me that the only day she REALLY needed a projectionist this month was EASTER SUNDAY!!! I originally agreed to do that, and signed up for another weekend in April.

I felt very conflicted about the whole thing, from the nepotism (which I should be used to after 6 years of small town life) to the fact that no one was straight forward with me about what they were actually looking for, to the examination of conscience that Father passed out on Sunday that includes "Did I do work on Sunday that was not necessary?". So, I spent all morning while I was torturing myself...I mean, exercising, praying about the situation, and prayed about it during Mass this morning too...so naturally, Father said something in his homily that convicted me to call up the theatre manager and the board and quit. So, here is Father's statement that just spoke to my heart today:

He was discussing how suffering is beneficial to us, and how we should unite our sufferings to the cross. He told a little story about a time when he was joking around with the archbishop about something and Father said to the Archbishop "Hey, I'm a martyr here" (or something of that nature) and Archbishop responded: "It is one thing to be a martyr for the faith, but it is another thing entirely to be a martyr for your own stupidity."

So, instead of causing myself suffering for no reason (missing our only full family day to work a job that is definitely not necessary), I should stand up for my faith.

So, my shortest time of employment, ever, has come to a close.