The Unexpected Interview

The seasons are turning yet again. There is a change in the air. And I was on the brink of a major shift in my life, possibly changing the trajectory of my path completely…

I’ve never really had a formal job interview. So being emailed by a client the day before a meeting, with the subject title “Interview Venue Change”, made my palms start to sweat. I thought we were just having coffee to celebrate the lifting of lockdown restrictions!

I scrubbed up as best as I could on a campsite, wiped the mud off my Vanns and made sure my socks were matching. This will have to do. A great pep talk when walking into a completely blank space of reference.

Turns out, my surfer chick laid back self was exactly what my client loved most. Swiftly the conversation moved away from my experience of a professional capacity and on to if I had ever been barreled or am I a more hang-ten kind of girl.

I don’t know why people make such a big deal about interviews…

Seriously though, the little prep time I had for my unexpected interview was probably a blessing. No time for anxiety to kick in and self-doubt to creep up. Then again, this is all part of the so-laid-back-I’m-practically-horizontal charm I have perfected over the years.

But then came the hard stuff. An offer, a decision, a crossroads to my extremely free-flowing life that I’ve been bumbling through. (Queue palm sweats again with added palpitations).

It’s no secret that I’m awful at making decisions. I like to leave things to fate, see which way the currents go, and let the winds blow through to decide.

Call me a hippy, curse me a pagan.

I don’t care. That’s just how I roll.

To cut a long story short, and to keep some personal details personal, the decision was made for me. It’s as if the gods of Bali themselves sent their powers across the globe to sway the winds and shift the seas for me. I didn’t have to decide anything.

And that was the closest I have got to be caught up in the rat race of our society. I was one phone call away from making it happen. One email to throw all my hard work, perseverance, and sweat-work up in the air and hope to catch it when it fell. I’m happy I didn’t get the job. I’m quite a fan of my flexible lifestyle now.

But one thing this whole experience and unexpected interview has made me realise is how incredibly lucky I am to have such a supportive circle of friends and family around me. Everyone I spoke to gave me solid advice for both sides of my conundrum. So thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you that shared your thoughts, encouragement, and wise words.

Now I’m ready to experience a great British summer that I’ve been dreaming of for so long. So if the gods and winds and currents of the earth can get a shift on faster, that would be just great.

Stay golden.