I was not the best receptionist, but I worked it!

I was not the best receptionist yesterday. I did my best, but the morning was a bit of trial and error. There was much multitasking to do, and I always think its funny when a receptionist leaves, and gives you 5 minutes of instruction on how to do her job. She is a full-time professional, and I am sure her job would take more than 5 minutes to explain.

I arrived at 12:30 p.m., and I could see her fingers were fluttering with the anticipation that she will be leaving for her half day off in minutes. In fact, she's leaving exactly after she makes sure I am situated. Irma goes through her “here’s what you do when” presentation, and sweetly asks if I have any questions, while she is looking around the desk for an object that would need a last minute explanation. She has already mentioned the call sheet, the cell phone list, the step by step instructions on how to answer the phone (don’t laugh-these come in handy later).

My anal-retentive mind is running through scenarios, and asking to be allowed to pick up the phone while she is still here, to practice and be corrected immediately. It is ringing, but starts taking the calls.

I ask questions on what I can anticipate, but there are no real questions now. The questions come later when you are doing the tasks solo, and realize your brain thinks the procedure would be one way, and her well-prepared instruction sheet details, another way. And her way is always gonna be right, and she is the full-time professional. She has the whole thing set up as she, and her boss, likes it.

I am left to sink or swim, and the only big flub of the day was for the first hour I was not hitting “transfer”, after I answered the call. The “hold” button made more sense to me, and in the rush, with three calls or so coming in at once, you have got to go with your gut. I see now how hitting transfer can eliminate steps, and am glad I reread Irma’s instructions. I mean that telephone system she has is very clever. Sorry Beverly for hanging up on your twice, and for calling back each time.

Normally – when I can’t do something perfect, I become very frustrated, and a pre-Entrees By You Julie would have been traumatized by not doing things exactly right from the start. But the last few years of running Entrees By You, have softened that hard and sharp edge I had, making my black and white mind a collage in shades of gray. I let go of the expectation that I needed to fully understanding someone’s job in 5 minutes, it’s unrealistic.

Your true intelligence is measured by your ability to adapt to a situation quickly once you understand it, not trying to read everything in an attempt to guess a hundred and twelve ways for the situation to go so you can be prepared. I do this all the time, and I call it "strategic thinking" on my resume!

God, that is how I spent the decade of my life I now call my 30s! Thinking strategically - about EVERYTHING. It is paralyzing, and just typing this is therapeutic, so thanks for hanging in there with me, but Jesus – it is a whole metaphor for my current life and how Entrees By You and working with Amy have changed my perspective. But that is pretty deep, and we can dive into that later.

So everything did make sense when Irma left. And then she gave me her cell phone number, but I poo-poo that. I can’t imagine what would possess me to call someone I am temping for on their cell phone DURING their afternoon off. It would take a Jack Bauer situation, where the whole building will explode if I don’t get the passcode from Irma’s desk top, in order to undetonated (sorry, if this isn’t a word) the bomb. Saving us all!

Irma’s work is ebb and flow. There is some quiet time, and she showed me how to surf the internet (again, everyone operates like you have 2 brain cells, of course I know how to use the internet from a desk top computer, as so 1st graders, but I thought it was nice of her to take time to mention it when she was fighting a full borne sprint to the front door). After she left, in the calm, I picked up my copy of At Work, the aptly titled Annie Leibowitz memoir I had checked out at the library. And more frequently then not the calls, visitors, questions and deliveries converged on Irma’s desk like a perfect storm, and I navigated through them.

I enjoyed how busy her desk is, and how I got to greet people and provide a friendly face. The prospective students, and their parents were nervous for these would be initial college interviews. It is rewarding to see them smile back, like they are relieved someone thinks they belong there at the school of the Art Institute of Austin. Being helpful is a definite on my list of characteristics of my perfect job.