Diary of a Young Professional (Volume 1)

7.22.2017

Dear Diary,

My last days of summer freedom are disappearing (and fast)!

This melodramatic realization is part of my countdown to puppy pick-up day, which is now less than a month away.  Between then and now, I have a beach vacation with David's family to use as a restful preparation for cleaning up after puppy accidents and surprise piles of shredded household items.

Just writing about the beach trip gives me a thrill of excitement.  Who isn't excited about the prospect of strawberry daiquiris and beachfront shopping?

My upcoming vacation is mostly exciting because I haven't spent much time with David since he changed jobs.  Third shift is brutal for him; he's rarely ever aware of our conversations when I give him a quick call during lunch.  If zombies were real, David would be their newest recruit.

I've learned not to take his exhaustion personally, but I do miss being able to go out for dinner or bowling - or even just a trip to browse through our favorite department store.  You know...something that resembles a real date?

We've learned the hard way that going to the movies for a low-key weekend outing is a waste.  A better way to put it is that a movie ticket is just an expensive 'right to nap' for David.

Clearly we haven't found a solid routine for our opposite shift relationship, but the fact that we're both trying is encouraging.

At least, the Internet tells me that I should be encouraged.  I don't really know what to feel.

Internet bloggers and my Netflix romance movie binge sessions are really the closest thing I get to feeling like a lovestruck girl these days.  In all of my "research", showing my support in both large and small gestures is the key recommendation for how to cope with limited together time.

So far, I've tried:

1. Writing sticky note letters for him to take in his lunch (he never even touched them), 

2. Baking lemon squares as a sweet treat to keep him thinking of me (his parents stole half of them)

3. Waking up extremely early to talk to him on his drive in to work (neither of us wanted to talk much at 1:30 AM)

Nothing is working yet but no matter what, I will keep trying to show David how much this relationship means to me.  I know that we're both tired and adjusting to our new jobs, but I still remember our early relationship days and all the different ways I fell in love with him.

When we first started dating, these romantic gestures were so much easier to pull off.  We met on a dating app (like everybody else on a college campus) and our love song was an ever-growing rock ballad based on our endless escapades.  Back then we both had so much free time; neither of us worked a full-time job and despite our drastically different living situations, we talked every day.

Going for walks in the park, attending drive-in movies (which we never actually watched, if you know what I mean), and experimenting with the best ways to cook with barbecue sauce at ungodly hours were just...all those things were just what we did.  We rarely ever had to call to confirm our dates or ask if coming over early would be okay.  With David, everything felt so easy and so fun!

I don't see us doing those things anymore.  Is the issue just that we're out of the honeymoon phase?  Our relationship maturity stage must be the reason - it's the only logical explanation.

I can't imagine ever falling out of love with David Sommer.

No matter the situation, he stays by my side and helps me to find perspective.  He's my first real love, the first man I've ever trusted with my deepest insecurities and darkest secrets.

Except...I haven't told him about my five-step plan to usurp Holly Clark.  He knows that I want to go to Asia and earn this massive bonus - and I've been completely honest about my outings with Holly for brunches and weekend matinees at the local theatre.  But I've conveniently left out all the parts where I planned this friendship as a form of espionage to achieve my ultimate goal.

Somewhere deep inside, I've been afraid of how he'll react to my devious plot.  David hasn't ever been a very motivated individual, but he also hasn't been one to plunge a knife into his co-worker's back.

Especially when part of the dastardly path to success entails befriending your victim before the ultimate betrayal.

I'm hoping that I can muster up the courage when David and I are in the peak of relaxation to tell him everything that's been going on in my scheming mind over the last few weeks.  But before I do, I want to make sure that we really reconnect during our trip.  Spiritually.  Emotionally.  Physically.

While I certainly have high hopes for a relaxing vacation to solidify my relationship and get us back to basics, my five-step plan waits for no woman.  Holly and I have been hanging out both during and after work some days and I feel like she's beginning to trust me.  I have to admit, being the only women in our department makes our friendship feel sacred somehow.

With Holly, I don't have to explain why work banter with production supervisors is funny or why some days I need to work late and need to reschedule dinner plans.  She gets it.  I can't say that Sierra fully understands the pressures of a manufacturing environment, regardless of how many times I explain my work world to her.  Holly is both supervisory and supportive while at work, but stunning and sarcastic after hours.

I could really see us as best friends...in another life.

Holly knows about my upcoming vacation, and so she's been showing me tips and tricks for how to prepare my schedules to support customer service needs while I'm away.  Planning further out is more difficult - and the risk of a needed change to production priorities is certainly much higher.  Yet, she doesn't seem to mind lending me a helping hand whenever I ask for her guidance.

I still have two weeks until I leave for the beach, which gives me two weeks of time to stabilize my friendship with Holly and move into Step 2.  Before I leave, I want to ask Holly Clark to formally be my mentor.  I've been doing research in my free time about what type of mentorship relationship I want to ask Holly to provide.

Who knew that mentors could come in so many different forms?

Mentors are great resources for anything that a fledgling employee might need during their first year of working.  They help explain complex work instructions, unpack office politics so that you don't accidentally cause World War III, and can be advocates for you when workplace conflicts arise.  When new and difficult situations arise, a mentor serves as a lighthouse so that you can guide your way back into safe harbor.

Basically, mentor meetings are like free therapy sessions.

But I know that asking someone to be a mentor is a huge commitment.  Taking the time to develop someone else when that person's growth isn't part of the mentor's job description can be a huge de-motivator.  For others, the proposition can be extremely flattering.

From what I know about Holly Clark, she'll jump at the chance to be my mentor.  I know from our casual recollections of college that Holly was a sorority girl and that she loved her Littles.

So, I have a great plan to ask Holly to become my mentor using some of the nostalgia from her college days.  I have a list of little gifts and a tiny paddle on my shopping list, all so that I can create the perfect atmosphere.

By the time I leave for vacation, I want Holly Clark to be so jazzed up about becoming my mentor that she spends the time that we're apart planning the best training for me to grow in my job.  If I get trained by the best, I should have no problem overcoming her on the trail to the top.  By that point in time, I'll know all Holly's tricks.

Plus, I'm really excited to get a chance to be crafty for an evening in while I paint Holly's paddle and write my invitation for her to become my mentor.  These little gestures really do make all the difference in a relationship.

But why does it feel more exciting to plan these things for Holly - my temporary bestie - than for David?

~Kelsey/