"The Birds Do Not Worry, They Sing"

July: Our Whirlwind Eye-Opener to the Ups and Downs of Contract Therapy Work

Our decision to pursue a season of traveling has been the best decision Tyler and I have made as a newly married couple. We have experienced so much joy in the beauty of the outdoors and have loved being able to share the hobby of hiking. We have become even closer as husband and wife and as best friends, as we really only have each other to spend time with outside of our work days (we are thankful to have had a few visitors the since we've been here!).

While most of this experience has been overwhelming positive thus far, we were somewhat naive to some of the negatives that come along with contract therapy work.

At the end of June I was told that my contract in Colorado would be ending early due to the facility finding a permanent hire to take my place. It was written in my contract that the facility had the right to end my placement with proper notice, however, this was not something we thought was common or something we anticipated happening.

I remember trying to hold back tears at work when I read the text - thoughts of "What are we going to do with the loss of half our income?" and "How could they do this to us? We uprooted our entire lives to come here. We signed a 3-month lease with the assumption that they would uphold their end of the contract" flooded my mind. I immediately texted Tyler the news.

I continued the work day, trying to stay present while treating my patients and specifically remember a conversation I had with one of them. We were looking out her window and talking about birds, naming them and discussing which ones we liked. I told her a quote that I have always loved based off of Matthew 6:25-34 - "The birds do not worry, they sing." In this moment I remember an almost tangible feeling of the weight of the unknown coming off of me - God takes care of the birds, would He not provide for us?

We spent the next couple of weeks riding a rollercoaster of emotions. I felt guilty that I had suddenly put financial stress on Tyler. I felt shame that I would have to tell my family and friends why I wasn't working. I felt like I had failed. These weeks were spent praying for another travel job to open up. We had a couple of opportunities arise that got our hopes up. One was in the same city my previous job was in and one was even in Castle Rock - we were just sure that these were what God had for us!... until they weren't.

The second week of July we headed back to Kansas. Tyler was going to his best friend's bachelor party and I was going to spend my 30th birthday with my family. 30, flirty, and jobless. My time with my family was refreshing and much needed even if my sister wanted to remind me in my birthday card that I was a "girl with no job."

That Sunday, Tyler and I headed to Orange Beach, Alabama with his family which was also much needed. It was so good to be with people who brought us comfort in our uncertain times. We had accepted that we would begin looking for a new contract in August, and that I would get a break from work for over a month.

A few days after we returned to Colorado from the beach, I got a call from my recruiter. The new hire that was supposed to replace me at my previous contract had not worked out and they needed a traveler to fill the position again. We were in absolute disbelief - this is what God had waiting for us. This was the answer to our prayer.

I started back at my previous position the next Monday and will (should) be here until the end of August.

Travel life is an amazing experience. The places we have been able to visit and the memories we have made with each other are once in a lifetime. The reality of contract work is that companies do have the right to end placements early. The unknown of when a contract might be cancelled is very unsettling - especially for two type A planners. The beauty in the unknown though is the opportunity to build faith and trust in the One who provides for us and the birds.

We are so thankful that God has been so good to us. He is faithful.

Stay tuned to see where we will be heading at the end of August :)

With Love and Gratitude,

The Wandering Wrights

#Colorado #TravelSLP #traveltherapy #travelcouple