Quirks of ship life: The lines are blurred.
In my previous life, for the most part, relationships were
very ordered and delineated. I had a
circle of people I lived with or near. I
had a circle of church friends. I had a circle of dancing friends. I had a
circle of coworkers. I had bosses and
managers and those relationships were different than coworkers. I had other random social circles, too, but
they didn’t interact much. Of course there was some overlap occasionally, but
for the most part, these different types of relationships each maintained their
own level of distance. Bosses were
distant and respectful. Coworkers, friendly but still a bit impersonal. Friends in varying circles had varying
degrees of relationship. Close friends
and church family were very close and deep.
Here… things are different.
My coworkers ARE my neighbors AND my church members AND my friends AND
my bosses….. and it’s weird. Figuring
out how to relate to people can be difficult! As an HR professional, how do I
spend all day figuring out problems and dealing with people at my company, and
then sit down and have dinner with them, or babysit their children, or hang out
and watch the sun set? Or how about when my roommate is having troubles at work
- I am the HR representative for the
company she works for, along with a friend and a roommate? How do you just hang out with your boss or
your boss’s wife after work? I can imagine it’s hard for teachers who have to
discipline the children of their own managers and leaders!
It’s just a very different community – don’t get me wrong, it’s a
community I love!! It’s just taking some getting used to, and I’m still trying
to figure out where I really fit in.
Definitely stretching me, these quirks of ship life!
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