phase 3 -- operation save my life: the unknown

i didn't know what would await me in atlanta in june. i BELIEVED that i could get work before i moved out there. i BELIEVED i could find an apt in five days ... i BELIEVED that the rental car would end up paying for itself (or i would end up being able to pay for it) ...

i could have made a better list of restuaurants and called them all ahead of time etc etc but i thought i was doing good by printing out the addresses ... i had asked "industry" people i knew what restaurants were hot and where i might find big tips ... i also did a blind search on the net ... i had 15-20 restaurants staked out ... i ended up visiting about 12 ...

people were telling me that this was a personality industry and i prayed it was true cuz all i really had going for me was ... personality ... see, you never met me but if you ever did ... or if i ever get this video blog off the ground ... you'll know what i'm talking about. so anyways, even if i do have a warm smile and bright eyes is that enough to get me a job???

yes.

from my first interview to my last i got great feedback. folks took time to talk to me. many told me to call back for an interview. one told me to return for an interview (never mind they weren't there when i came back - it's part of life.) and several told me to call them when i returned to atlanta for good.

once i stepped into the unknown i realized my dreams really were possible.

if we keep looking at the unknown from a distance we will never KNOW.

both my feet were plunged in and it was at the last interview where something CLICKED. i just felt right. i loved the look of the three-story, fancy pants, french-esque restaurant that was in the heart of midtown atlanta. the woman who interviewed me mentioned that someone was quitting in a few weeks and that my timing (GOD) was perfect. she said she could start me as a hostess and then i could possibly train as a waitress. she gave me her personal cell and i had a feeling the job was mine. i told her i would call her in two weeks when i was back in the A.

as for housing ... i was blessed with many options. friends had invited me stay with them. but i was reluctant to impose on anyone. so, i looked at a few apartments in certain neighborhoods but i felt overwhelmed by how huge the atlanta metro area was. the biggest blessing is that my daughter's grandmother - BD's mom - owned an apartment complex that was down the street from my daughter's new school. the unknown part is that i didn't know what the apartments looked like or if i would like them. i kinda knew that God had my back ... he had set something aside for me ... and he did.

the grace and mercy is that my daughter's grandmother was an angel who offered me flexiblity and love ... in a landlord.

bi-level 2BR townhomes with eat-in kitchens ... some other tenant left a washer/dryer behind ... we can move that in your apartment she said ... i wanted light cuz i paint ... i found a sunny unit with brand new carpeting ... good condition ... the area is transitioning ... used to be way hood but now it's only hood depending on who you talk to ... aint all that hood to me ... i hear birds chirping ... and crickets humping ... and sometimes just wind moving in between leaves ... oh, and it's in my price range ... i was sold!!!!

i flew back to nyc with contentment in my heart ... i had saved the money i needed, i had an apartment, and i was pretty sure i had a job ... i gave notice the next day!

of course, some folks had to warn me that a lot of restaurants promise girls they can become servers but they never come thru ... they just keep you as a hostess and wear you out ... this is true. i had already heard this. but this wasn't going to be my story (and if it was i had a plan B) cuz that thing in me that i've had since i was little went off in my brain: i write my own story and when i work hard and try my best things change/move/open and the impossible becomes possible ...

i also placed the job outcome all in God's hands. i didn't try to figure out with my intellect which job was better, sexier, etc. ... i let God do her thing ... and she did me right. i didn't worry or stress. that was my covenant. God knew he had my total trust and faith.

the woman from that fancy-pants french restaurant called me before i even got to atlanta. she called the day i was driving down - that's how anxious she was to hire me. when i got her message two days later (i had just arrived in atlanta and i was exhausted after driving for 20 hours) i called her right away. she asked me to come in for a second interview with her GM and other managers. i was there - early.

i was hired and started work the first week i had arrived in atlanta.

i never imagined it would happen just like this. that everything would fall into place. i mean i had FAITH but to witness it unfold before your very eyes ... is encouraging, heartening, and doubly inspiring.

love your dream. cuz God put it in you. and he will see you thru to the end of the rainbow.

phase 4 coming soon ... the picture is of a painting i have been working on for 7-8 years ... it's only one small reason why i moved - so i can finish it!