The Decision

All quiet on the home front today, which is a welcome change from the chaos of the last few days. I spent my time doing household chores and cleaning up the apartment. I left the TV on in the background, and have really tried to take pause.
Mary was gone most of the day, which accentuated my break. She went to a meeting with Marcus, one of her old coworkers from Qwest (and also a very special friend for her). For years they talked about starting their own company. Looks like the Great Mathematician has cleared both of their schedules for more conversation. (Looking to the spiritual nature of this relationship and reviewing the recent outpouring of good in my experience leaves no doubt about this natural union. The geography fits.)
Anyway, she was gone for most of the afternoon, which I only see as a good sign. She finally called late in the afternoon, saying that she was very excited about the ideas that were coming to the surface from the conversation. She’d lost total track of time (which also fits).
As for the feedback on the Tacoma job: My agent said she was going to contact the client right after we spoke late yesterday afternoon, promising to call me with the details and feedback first thing in the morning. I had already clearly passed on the job, and though her insistence that I continue to stay in the running made me feel uncomfortable, I had finally acquiesced. (I’m sure it wouldn’t have been very good for her to explain to the client outright that I was refusing the possibility of working with them, especially after she had been talking me up so much.)
By about 3:30 this afternoon I was ready to put the matter to rest. She hadn’t followed up with a call back about yesterday’s interview, so I called her at her office. She was just about to call me. “Um,there was another candidate,” she began, and then went on to explain that another candidate had materialized since our last conversation, and that the client company had made the decision to go with this new candidate (making this hiring decision a full day before they said they would during my interview). She said that they will keep looking for work for me. I thanked her for all of her time and effort, explained that it really wasn’t a surprise considering the consistent “miscommunications”, and that I was certain that everything had worked out for the best.
I am struggling with conflicting feelings about this whole thing, but I’ll get over it. Truth be known, I’m relieved to not get this job. While losing out on the income is a substantial hit, there’s a lot more to life than money, and the aspects surrounding this job opportunity proved far less than harmonious. (Do you smell drama?) All things considered, everything’s worked out quite well: My agency was apparently able to find the perfect candidate for the client’s need between yesterday and today. And I can’t help but wonder how much of a role I played in helping this solution come together….