Erin White - Attendant

If one minute of my life had gone completely different, I may have never known Erin.

She had visited the church I was attending a few times, but I hadn't seen her, which was remarkable because there weren't very many people in their early twenties there.  Some other folks in the congregation mentioned meeting her to me one afternoon and that she was new to Tucson.  So, even though I'm really quite shy, I decided to seek her out the next Sunday and introduce myself - I know how hard it is to be the new person in an unfamiliar place.  That following Sunday I finally spotted her during the service and when it was finished, I tried to make my way over to greet her.  I caught up with her outside just as she was getting ready to leave, and I'm forever thankful I did - she mentioned much later, after we were close friends, that she hadn't been planning to come back after that day until I talked to her.

We became good friends almost immediately - we process information and emotions in very similar manners and I was so happy to finally meet someone who really understood that about me.  Even after only a few weeks of knowing Erin, I was more than welcome to spend the night at her place when my apartment was too lonely.  And, after just a few months, we took the dreaded friendship plunge and officially became roommates, along with Brogderick, one of Erin's previous roommates, in the oddest house I've ever lived.  Luckily, we were the kind of friends who could live together and be better for it.  We baked like crazy, survived a few months on a diet of homemade popcorn, pizza, and Hot Cheetos with lime and salt, watched TV like 14-year-old girls, frequented karaoke night at our favorite bar,  and sat on the kitchen counters sipping gin, eating homemade pie, and discussing politics, religion, and the latest antics of the teenagers we worked with through the church's youth outreach program.

Erin is that friend you can call anytime, anywhere, and she'll always drop what she's doing, give you her undivided attention, and make sure you're okay.  And though she's given me many valuable pieces of advice, the one I took to heart the most was about dating: You have to go on at least two, but preferably three dates (with an open mind!) before making a decision.

While I haven't needed it for dating in several years, I often find myself using the same wisdom in other aspects my life from meeting new people to taking changes at the workplace in stride.  Though new things can often be scary or stressful, I remind myself to try and keep an open mind the first few encounters, suss out the good from the bad, and then make a decision about how to move forward.  At work, this meant trying to remind myself to take mandates more positively, looking for their benefits, and, after giving the new policy a honest go, being able to suggest changes, tweaks, and improvements to better the policy rather than wasting energy fighting it.  Though, I wasn't always successful in embracing change.

I've been trying to apply Erin's advice to my new job search as well.  I don't have a clear vision of my perfect career.  I don't even have a blurry vision.  But, Erin taught me to embrace new things.  Instead of passing over jobs I might normally not even consider, I take a moment to reflect on where it could take me instead.  If there's a clear path for further potential and movement, even if the job itself lacks flair, I apply.  Though I may have to do something less than fantastic at first, it might take me somewhere really great.  And, if it doesn't, I can start the process over again.

Because of Erin, I'm more likely to try foods I've never heard of, sign up for a belly dancing class, or try my hand at yoga.  And even if I don't like the experience at first, I don't just throw it out the window - I try to remember to look for the positive and keep an open mind.