so despite the fact that it takes me just under an hour to get there, i wake up, put on my work clothes (take a selfie, obvi), and drive here every morning:

which, hi, is the opposite of awful. but even amazing views of the pacific and the manicured greens of the course can’t cure the occasional job-gripe. i think it’s only natural that you go through cycles of loving your job and hating it and loving it again. after six years at my current position, believe me, i have had a few dozen of those cycles. but what i am just now realizing is that a “job” or a “career” encompasses so much more than just the day to day administrative busywork. the unanswered emails and voicemails and spreadsheets and deadlines. it’s about the people you work with. and the people you work for. it’s about the fact that you get your own office and can play katy perry as loud as you want (as long as you shut your door, of course) and have unlimited coffee and fountain drinks at your fingertips. it’s about the fact that you’re greeted with a smile from the line cooks and housekeeping staff when you take your first steps into the club in the morning or the fact that you can discuss the latest episode of project runway with the assistant pro on your lunch break because you share a bond with her that runs deeper than simply just “colleagues.”

it’s about all of these things.

so today i’m thankful for my job. the job i, in all honesty, have no business holding given my area of study in college (spanish) and my golf skills (non-existent). but the job that has paid my bills for the past six years, allows me to save for a retirement fund, and ensures that i can go to the hospital without drowning in medical expenses should i suddenly contract some rare disease. the job that has stretched me and grown me and challenged me and rewarded me in ways i never even imagined, and the job that has never once made me wear a suit (gah, thank goodness). the job whose fellow colleagues make it an absolute joy to drive that hour-long commute every morning. some of which who are not only just colleagues, but friends.

sometimes when i try to explain what exactly my job entails, i have a hard time quantifying those daily tasks. i’m not gonna lie, i wear a lot of hats. but i think that’s one of the things i love most about calling this place my home away from home. we’re in the business of managing and catering to people. and people are pretty unpredictable if you ask me. so everyday is an adventure, really. lucky for me, this adventure is located on top of a hill overlooking downtown la jolla.

so when i whine about what a terrible day i had, point me back to this post and remind me how crazy blessed i am -to not only have a job (because not everyone has one of those these days), but a good one. a job i am more than willing to drive 30 miles for every day.