Manifesting a "dream" job
One summer in between our cross country travels and work, Michael and I found ourselves saying what’s next? And nothing was appearing. We had lived multiple times on both coasts, bouncing from east to west back to east and back to west. Now we had landed in the middle for a brief stint, sleeping in a friend’s attic in Michigan for the summer and trying to figure out “the next obvious thing.” We had thought about returning to the Yoga community we had lived and worked at in California but it was more out of desperation to do “something” and not actually feeling pulled to go back there. Lucky for us, they said "no thank you” when we offered to return. So not only did we need jobs but we needed a place to live.
So we decided to hop in the car and take a trip to the east coast and visit my family and do some more thinking. I met up with one of my oldest friends while I was in town and started to share what was going on and how we were feeling a bit lost and directionless. She asked a really simple question.
“What would you want to do if you could do anything?”
I thought for a moment and said the first thing that popped into my head.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe run a bed and breakfast in wine country.” I said half jokingly. Michael was with me and he said “yeah, that would be cool!”
After our visit we went back to my mom’s house and got onto the computer. (This was 2008, so it was a big desktop, not a laptop and definitely no fancy smartphone.) Craigslist was more legit back then and it was the best place to look for housing and jobs and not filled with scammers and shady posts….
I went to the California jobs section and scrolled down through lots of jobs and this one caught my eye. The heading….. “Live your dream running a bed and bed breakfast in the Napa Valley.” I clicked through the link and read the description.
“Small 5 cottage bed and breakfast looking for live-in managers to run all aspects. Reservations, cooking, maintenance, light housekeeping.”
I literally could not believe what I was reading. I called Michael and showed him the post to verify that I wasn’t imagining it.
“Let’s apply!” he said.
If it is one thing I excel at (if I can be modest here) is writing convincing cover letters. With almost every job I have applied for (or others who I have written letters for) I have almost always gotten the interview. I set out to write a cover letter that would show how we were the perfect couple for this gig. And sure enough. The next day I got an email back asking if we could set up a time for a phone interview.
We had the interview while we were still in New York and we thought it went really well. The couple who owned the Inn seemed like great people and we were even more excited about the opportunity. They thanked us and said they had some more interviews and would reach out again if we were moving up to the next step.
After the interview we headed back to Michigan and our friend’s attic. I decided we were getting the job, but that we needed to manifest that second interview. I remember reading about vision boards and setting intentions and all that “woowooo” stuff. I decided to put it into action for us. I remember putting together pictures and making a poster that hung over our bed in the attic that said “We are the new managers at the Calistoga Bed and Breakfast.” The universe hears the present tense so that is what I wrote. (At least that is what vision board experts say!)
A few days after we got to Michigan we get a phone call. They would love for us to come out to California for a few days so we can meet in person, see the Inn and the area. And then they said. “And of course we would pay for you to fly out here and put you up.” Well that was a no brainer. Stay in the attic or head out to California on an all expense paid trip to wine country.
We flew to San Francisco, rented a car and drove up to wine country. Although we had lived in California a few times, we had not made the trip this far north and it was truly stunning. It was October so I remember the vineyards were having their foliage season and the light was magical. We spent 3 days at the Inn and touring the area and the way they spoke about things I felt like we had the job already. As we were getting ready to leave I said to Michael, “we’ve got this!”
We flew back to Michigan and then we waited. I sent a follow up email. And obsessively checked my email. And we still waited. And then finally after what seemed like weeks, but was probably only a few days we got the call and the offer. California here we come. Again.
We packed up both cars and took off for yet another road trip to California. (I lost count as to how many times we have done this!) The trip took a few days, as the owners were paying for the trip so we could stay in some “nicer” places along the way. Instead of our usual “drive for 15 hours a day and find the cheapest place to stay.” We arrived right before Thanksgiving and celebrated with the owners in “our new cottage.”
We would be living in the main cottage which had a bedroom, office, kitchen and living/ dining room. We had 5 cottages to manage, bringing breakfast to each, offering suggestions for wineries to visit. The majority of the cleaning was done by our delightful “non English speaking” housekeeper. I got to dust off my high school Spanish and attempt communication. However, we were in charge of the laundry and when we had a full house that is 5 sets of king sheets, pillow cases and towels. It’s a full day.
The day to day was pretty routine. Besides the check in though, we really didn’t have too much interaction with the guests. We also needed to have at least one of us at Inn if we weren’t fully booked, for any potential drop in guests without a reservation. And since we were living where we were working if we wanted to take a day off that really wasn’t a thing. Occasionally if we both needed to be away we could leave a note on the door with our cell phone number, if someone wanted to get in touch with us. But this was 2008 and cell phones didn’t always have the best coverage and texting wasn’t really a thing, so the owners preferred we be there as much as possible.
It wasn’t all bad though… we could have friends visit and stay in a lovely cottage if we weren’t booked. We got treated very nicely at local wineries with free tastings to encourage us to send our guests there. I could go for a mid day bike ride or run along vineyard lined dirt roads. And we were living rent free in a beautiful cottage in the Napa Valley.
But after a few months it started to feel like bed and breakfast prison. Michael and I were together almost 24/7, living together and working together. Let’s just say that’s not always the best for a relationship….. : ) We decided we needed to end the “dream job” or the relationship so we opted to quit the dream job. We let the owners know that it just wasn’t working for us and they were understanding.
Now we just needed to figure out… you guessed it… “the next obvious thing.” Back to looking for a job and a place to live. We’ve been here before and will be here again. Did we regret our decision to take the dream job? Absolutely not. It was a wonderful adventure and that is what life is all about.
Have you ever gotten a dream job that turned out to be a nightmare or maybe it was even better than you thought it would be?
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When I took a job out of desperation due to factory closing...I took what I could get at an Orthopedic company. My first week I saw someone giving surgeons a tour of the plant and I said I want that job. It took me 8 years to work my way towards that position and on the third attempt, I finally landed it. I loved that job and company, 30 years later I retired happy and fulfilled.
How lucky to be able to experience your dream job - and how lucky to be able to rationally realize it wasn’t all dreamy. I saw your mom and aunt last week - they are fabulous!!