A memory of mine

Several years ago I was in Las Vegas, Nevada walking down the street from downtown to the strip. It was fairly early in the morning and it wasn't very hot yet like it can get there. A few days earlier I had gotten to Las Vegas from one of my many hitchhiking trips. This one had taken me through the Grand Canyon and a few other national parks including Zion. My memory tells me that it was a great hitchhiking trip but that diverges from this story. It turned out to be a very interesting morning that morning for me.

There was an old man putting some furniture out on the sidewalk in front of the store. Since he looked like he needed help I offered to help with what he was doing. After finishing that little task I was offered a position with the store on the spot. This I accepted and so began working for the store that day. It worked out pretty good for me even if the job didn't pay very much but I had no place I had to be at the time. Also, the job included living in a pickup out behind the store, something like $10 and lunch daily. Living in a pickup may not sound very great until you realize that I was a homeless vagabond then.

This shows that doing a good deed can pay off once in a while and get you a job. Of course it does also involve being in the right place at the right time for such an opportunity. You also have to be open to those opportunities when they come. It requires also to be observant to what is going on around you at any time. Opportunities like these can't be scheduled in advance ever, they come up on their own. You have to be open to them or they will never happen.

Another odd event that occurred in my life was one day at about 3AM in downtown Los Angeles, CA. There was someone washing the windows of one of the stores there. We got to talking for a few minutes and began to kind of connect. Soon, he asked me if I would get him a cup of coffee at the donut shop around the corner. He gave me the money after I said yes and I went to get his cup of coffee. Once I returned with the coffee I was offered a part time job with his cleaning company. It also offered a roof over my head in Highland Park, CA.

While neither of these jobs paid very much they prove one thing. You have to be open to opportunity when it comes your way. It also proves that not all jobs are gained from submitting resumes all over the place. In both of these cases it was while I was walking along with nothing to do. What gained me the job in one case was being helpful with no thought of receiving anything. In the other position it was because of a conversation that happened. Don't be afraid of getting out and meeting people, it can really pay off.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by Cricket.