Category: Work

wonder ready

trE

NaPoWriMo #13

I’m full of wonder, ready
for the impending inevitable.
daily, I remind myself,
“Be patient. Beauty is
just around the corner.”
I hope my sanity
will remain intact
until then.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a space for healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and blessings!

The Gift of Change Is Humbling Me

trE
Walking down my stairwell one week ago. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

On Thursday, October 31, 2024, I was hired for a Patient Navigator position with HALO Precision Diagnostics (HALO DX). The company’s motto is, “Saving lives with early disease detection.”

To put it rather plainly, I will educate patients on the importance of genetic testing for early detection of various cancers (Breast, Lung, Prostate, Neuro, and Heart/Cardiac) and get them scheduled for our services.

The beautiful thing about this new career is that I will be placed at the previous facility where I worked before transitioning to a work-from-home position. I know the place like the back of my hand, and a lot of my old co-workers are still there, and are extremely happy I will be onsite again.

The process has been rigorous and I am still going through security screening for the site as a Non-exempt employee. The position is a newly created one for the host site, which is Novant Health (MedQuest) Imaging Center Piedmont and HALO DX has partnered with this site to drive home their services to qualifying patients.

Friday, December 06, 2024, was my last day with Radiology Scheduling. It was bittersweet. A lot of tears were shed and so many sweet, detailed, and loving messages were sent my way.

We had our company Christmas dinner on Thursday night, and much to my surprise, I was recognized and honored for maintaining 96% or higher throughout the entire year for QA for my calls. I handled two big markets and various modalities, and I was skilled in over 30 sets for the department.

So, maintaining that percentage range was more than impressive to the higher-ups.

I was allowed to select whatever I wanted as a gift, and being the person that I am, I opted for a Novant Health-themed hot/cold tumbler. I’m already in love with it!

We had a great time at the Christmas party and all of the higher-ups told me if this new endeavor doesn’t work out, all I have to do is call or send an email, and I would be welcomed back with open arms.

I do not foresee this new position becoming a problematic one. Everything about it has been calculated and God-led. I’ve been listening for His voice and heard it loud and clear when He advised me to hit the ground running the old-school way and apply for jobs.

Following that method led me to my old site and the center manager informed me she had a position in mind for me . . . and here, we are.

On Monday and Tuesday of this coming week, I’ll be working from home to complete the first few big training sessions for HALO DX. When we have received the notification of my screening clearance, I will be able to begin training and shadowing onsite.

I am nervous, afraid, excited, happy, and sad, but I am so ready for this change. Having worked from home for the last four years, I can feel myself becoming quite the recluse, and I am shaking myself back to some semblance of normalcy.

Whatever I can do to continue to help people in a multitude of ways as it pertains to their health and the prevention of various cancers and diseases, I am all for it!

The butterfly in me has been waiting to emerge. I am no longer cocooned, and I am excitedly waiting to see what this change has in store for me!

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

gravitate

trE

we’re living in the last
days of working together
and both of us are losing
peace, but we don’t want
to admit it.

she thinks my leaving would
cause me to gravitate toward
another or forget her or let
go of what we’ve built, and
I’m shouting from the highest
of heights that this is
false.

we are connected in a way
that cannot be damaged.
she knows this–holding on
makes her feel like she’s
letting go.
“We are so much more than
work-related. This environment
doesn’t define us.”

and she sees, then hears
those words, but fear is
still a marker I have to fight.
“I say what I mean, and I mean
what I say. We will still be us.”

I know insecurity lies
in the depths of her beating
heart and at the base of
her troubled mind, but I’m
giving her my word.

“You can’t say I haven’t kept
my word. For as long as
you’ve known me, I have
never disappointed you.”
she admits the truth of this,
yet I still have to kick through
past culprits to show her
I am who I say I am.

tomorrow is a day we don’t
want to see.
there are mixed feelings, but
an inkling of happiness
caresses my heart.
I am changing even though I’m
scared to death.
I am moving on from a place
I’ve known for years . . .

and she thinks the gravity
of the intensity of this
change will move me away
from her, too.
try as I might, I can only
do what I have been doing.

I cannot make her believe.

surrender or die trying

trE

an audio poem

surrender or die trying by Tremaine L. Loadholt via SoundCloud

like Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard To Tell“,
when we spot each other
in a room full of our
workmates, we fight to get
to that hug we’ve been
missing–that embrace that
saddles us with contentment.

we fight for the purity of touch.

I know you. you know me.
we broke down walls to be
able to say, “She’s whole
without being halved.”
we have the drop on
one another but we’ll never
use it.

I am counting down the days
until I see you again.
until I get to hear that
Flint, Michigan accent with a sprinkle
of the Deep South swirling
on your tongue.

maybe it’ll be the right time
to say, “Yes” to what we’ve
had to say “No” to for
so long.

or maybe I’m just living
through my fantasies
again–envisioning you as the
key to my heart’s happiness.
or maybe, we’re treading
lightly because the heavy waves
are getting heavier and we
need these damn jobs.

we’ve been cautious for years.

and there’s no cat and mouse
with us–we’re simply plagued
by curiosity and frozen from
impending corporate damage.

how long will we be able to
hold up our end of the
bargain before we have to
surrender?

are we willing to battle
in the wars of political correctness for the honor
of true love?

am I?

*Background music: It Ain’t Hard Tell instrumental, produced by The Large Professor