Working at Safeway
In earier posts, I referred to my employment situation as being on a raft...or on boats when I was actually employed....And on those boats, there was the terrible possibility that your job could end at any time....and that did happen, and quite frankly my life hasn't been the same since....(big sigh)..
I can not begin to describe these past 5 years....maybe in another post I may have described what it's like to experience such a thing. The loss of one's identity, or even self-esteem....
What it comes down to is that it's nobody's fault but mine....that's the key...it has a diminishing effect that permeates many areas of everyday life, to the point where you find yourself praying....
"Lord, I just need to get a job again, Forgive my indulgence..Forgive my laziness....Forgive my selfishness....I just want to work again...I want to live again."
And God Said...okay, you wanna Work?? Get ready to Work your butt off!!
But theological theories aside, the next thing I knew I was sitting in a back room at the local Safeway, taking an online 'test' in which I had to memorize numerical keycodes for various fruits and vegetables, and take a virtual checkout test. It was relatively easy, until they gave me an apron and said, "ok, go to register 4 and start checking those customers." That's when a quiet panic set in, but there I was, and I did it, almost robot-like.
Later on I started working in produce, lifting boxes of produce and bringing them out and arranging them for display, constantly moving. So, after about a month, I must say I haven't been in this good physical shape in years. It's not what I used to do, it's not an art, but it's work...what took me so long?
I can not begin to describe these past 5 years....maybe in another post I may have described what it's like to experience such a thing. The loss of one's identity, or even self-esteem....
What it comes down to is that it's nobody's fault but mine....that's the key...it has a diminishing effect that permeates many areas of everyday life, to the point where you find yourself praying....
"Lord, I just need to get a job again, Forgive my indulgence..Forgive my laziness....Forgive my selfishness....I just want to work again...I want to live again."
And God Said...okay, you wanna Work?? Get ready to Work your butt off!!
But theological theories aside, the next thing I knew I was sitting in a back room at the local Safeway, taking an online 'test' in which I had to memorize numerical keycodes for various fruits and vegetables, and take a virtual checkout test. It was relatively easy, until they gave me an apron and said, "ok, go to register 4 and start checking those customers." That's when a quiet panic set in, but there I was, and I did it, almost robot-like.
Later on I started working in produce, lifting boxes of produce and bringing them out and arranging them for display, constantly moving. So, after about a month, I must say I haven't been in this good physical shape in years. It's not what I used to do, it's not an art, but it's work...what took me so long?
posted by Olias at 11:59 PM
3 comments
