Hi Rosalind,

After my call with you, I was so motivated to make my job demands up front without explanation (telecommuting as needed, 1 day off, etc.). The president and hiring manager seemed confused by it, but didn’t ask too many questions and I happily accepted their job offer. Just hours after the phone call, I suddenly felt sick - sore throat, nausea, aches. I couldn’t believe how quickly I could go from euphoria to blah. But that is the challenge of autoimmune disease - even good stress can be taxing.

The next morning I couldn’t even get out of bed. I felt so weak and rundown. I was barely able to call into my then job. They were very understanding which just made me feel guilty. I laid in bed thinking, “what have I done”. I was sure my body was telling me I had made a bad decision by taking a job with more hours and going into a situation where they might not be able to handle my frequent illness. I was sick for 2 days, and by the time I was finally back on track I made my decision to call the new employer. I talked to the hiring manager and I just put it out there. I said, “I really feel I must tell you the reason why I have asked for flexibility and that is because I have an autoimmune disease that makes me succeptible to illness.” She seemed shocked and unsure of what to do with that information. She told me that I didn’t need to tell her that, which I respected, but I couldn’t stand the thought of having to hide it anymore. I asked her to discuss it with the president to be sure they were O.K. with this news. She called me back the next day and assured me that they had absolutely no reservations about hiring me and that they felt my honesty was a clear indicator of my character.

Long story short - I love working here. I started on the 11th and although the transition has been stressful, especially given the timing of the holiday season, I feel like this is really what I am supposed to be doing.

One of the stipulations I made about my schedule was taking Wednesday off. It has only been 2 weeks, but I think that was a great choice. It is so nice to work 2 days and then have a day to regroup. I have been battling a cold ever since I started, but the schedule has made it possible for me to keep working effectively.

I think your blog is great. I hope to have time to check in on it regularly!
Happy Holidays and thank you for helping me on my career path!

Michelle