Sooooo, two weeks ago I received the message that one of my team members had a cold. Nowadays, that is simply not allowed, so I had to go in and cover her shift. I had worked a couple of days already that week, so this would be day three. Two days later, another team member showed signs of possibly getting a cold as well and that is when the true endurance test began. Not only would I end up working sixteen days in a row, many of them would be ten to twelve hour days and on top of that, it snowed.
Our winter thus far hasn’t been bad, but now to add to the long stretch of work days, I was going to have to contend with the impending snow storms and all the fun things that go along with them. For me, that includes the mind numbing question of, should I attempt to park my car in the garage where it will be safe, but I may be snowed in or park it in the street where it may not be safe, but at least I could dig myself out? The situation I contend with annually is that I live smack dab in the middle of the block, so digging out of the alley is much more arduous than street parking. Then, to add a layer of challenge to the situation, I live on a designated snow route. Will it snow enough for them to deem my car towable? If yes, then I should park on the next street, but which side? Is it an even day or an odd day? If I choose poorly, once again my car would be deemed towable. Good times indeed.
The next level of this endurance test was dealing with the customers who were preparing to be snowed in. With the increase of our customer count, the decrease of team members to service the increase of the customer count and the increase of hours I was working, I still managed to provide service with a smile, at least that is what I choose to believe. Most of this time span has become a blur for me, but there is something I do recall quite vividly. It may have been a dream, then again, maybe not. At three o’clock in the morning, I swear I woke up because someone called out my name. I shot up in bed and looked around. As I sat in the darkness, I listened wondering if it was my son and if I should check on him, but he would not have called me by my first name. The house was still and quiet, but I wasn’t able to get back to sleep. It was going to be a long day indeed.
That day at work, I took care of a customer that was reeking of cigars. At least two other times that same day, I encountered the smell of cigars, not knowing their source. My dad had smoked cigars, I hated it, but whenever I smell cigars, I think of my dad. Maybe that was dad calling for me in the middle of the night, just like he had so many times before when we were unknowingly dealing with his dementia. I told this story to my cousin Red and her interpretation was that it was him trying to tell me that I was going to be okay. I was so very tired and increasingly stressed, I chose to believe her interpretation. I needed to believe it, so I could keep moving forward.
The next day, it snowed again and it was a heavier snow fall. Stumbling to my car and digging myself out, I almost started to cry. I thought to myself, “This has got to be some kind of endurance test.” I managed to get to work safely, take care of the needs of the business, go home, eat sleep and get up the next day to do it all over again and again. When I realized that my two team members were not coming back anytime soon, I had a conversation with my boss. By this time, I was running on fumes and our conversation ended up being rather one sided. I rambled on and on about all that was happening at work and in my personal life and that the challenges we starting to get to me. I kept apologizing for the ramble, “I’m just so tired, so very, very tired.” I didn’t mean to bore him with the details of my life, but I was on a rant, I needed to release and he was a willing victim.
He asked if he could get someone to help, was there a day that would be better for me. I dared to ask for a Saturday, but that’s a tough day to get covered. I told him that a weekday is when I conduct business, if not a Saturday, then no thanks and no, a half day is not going to cut it either. I told him that I’ll just keep going, I’ll make it. I went to the sales floor and kept going about my business feeling downtrodden. Moments later, my assistant approached me with a print out of an email we had just received. “Oh no, now what?” I asked. She told me that it was good news and thought I should read it right away. My eyes welled up with tears as I read that he had found someone to cover for me on Saturday. I responded to the email with immense gratitude to all involved. I just had to make through Friday, day sixteen.
While driving home that night, I called my friend Karen. I was giddy with joy that I just had to make it a few more days until I got a break. I began to tell her everything I had told my boss and it was then that I realized why he must have worked so hard to find me help, I sounded like a lunatic! Why the hell did I tell him all of that? I started to laugh, a good hard belly laugh, how insane everyone must think I am or better yet, maybe I am insane? Oh, which ever was true I now felt like I could do anything and so I even dared to navigate the snowy alley. It didn’t look bad, maybe I could make it? I’m going to have a day off, maybe I can make it to the garage as well?
As I continued to laugh, Karen still on the line, I narrated the decent. “So far, so good! Woo hoo, it’s like being on an amusement park ride!” The car was sliding side to side, but I was making it by staying in the grooves that the other cars had made. Then, I realized that we had not shoveled in front of my garage and that’s where the party ended. I was stuck, but I didn’t care, that was fun! That was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time and it was worth it. I tried to dig myself out with no luck, but fortunately, my son was able to help me and push me to freedom. Well, I had to try, but now I know I needed to park on the street for a few weeks, it is what it is.
Most of these days, while driving to work, I have been in contact with my work mentor. Not only is he an excellent manager who is extremely kind and patient, he is a good listener as well. Whether it be a phone conversation or a text message, he is there for me and I am forever grateful for our relationship. I started to include the count of days in our conversations and to give him an update. I believe I called him three days in a row, so on the third day I said something like, “On today’s episode…” because my life was feeling like some bad soap opera. I don’t recall what day it was exactly, but I started the conversation with, “I had to call you to tell you about how I met Dracula yesterday.”
So here’s what really happened. I had a customer who was dressed rather dapper, all in black; dress pants, ornate blazer and even a black scarf. He was an older gentleman with a very striking head of hair that was combed back off his forehead, longer, grey and curly. He was trim and had very good posture. I asked him if he would like to sign up for our rewards program and he said that he would. I like to fill in the cards myself so I can read the handwriting. He had a bit of an accent, so I was having trouble understanding him, but when he told me what his last name was and began to spell it, I had no trouble at all. His name, was my mother’s maiden name and I asked him, “Really?” and explained my surprise. Then he told me his birthday and I was like, “Are you kidding me? That’s my mother’s birthday, different year, but that is my mother’s birthday.”
I would not have been working that day if not for the quarantines and I do not believe in coincidence. I was meant to be there on that day so I could meet this striking man who shared my mother’s name and birthdate. Why did I notice his hair so much? In a way, it reminded me of my mother’s hair. He agreed with me that this was not just a coincidence, but he wondered what it all could mean. I choose to believe that it was my mom, like my dad a few nights earlier trying to tell me that I was going to be okay. With all the stress I’ve been under, there have been moments that I felt like I could drop dead at any moment. It was too much, too much for me to deal with mentally and physically and I was going to check out soon, but even if I did, it was going to be okay. Everything would be okay. My kids would be okay, work would be okay and I would be okay and that’s why Dracula visited me that day.
The next day, a third team member was quarantined. I was like, of course, bring it on! Not only was I dealing with the loss of a third team member, a fourth one had called off for the rest of the week because he forgot to tell me that he was going to be out of town. Yes, he is a kid, enough said. I gathered my few remaining team members and redid the schedule. My boss called and said that we could close early for two days if it would help and besides, more bad weather was on the way, so it may not affect us much at all to close early. I made it through another day and I was okay.
Day sixteen: There would only be three of us to work our heaviest load day, two of us open to close, but we can do this! I received an Outlook invitation that brought tears to my eyes. They were sending one of our corporate trainers to help that day. I wrote an email of gratitude that began with, “Bless your soul…” We’re going to be fine, we’re going to be okay and I get tomorrow off!
Needless to say, I made it. I have spent my one day off, after working sixteen days in a row, taking care of some chores, baking a cake, making beef stew, and I even took a nap. I finally got back to this little blog of mine, drinking wine and reading through the fifty-some, “I don’t think this is a real person.” comments and deleting them. If I have made a mistake, I apologize, but some of these email addresses lead me to believe that they are not sincere. Anyway, while drinking a glass of wine (or two, okay maybe three) I have shared with you my endurance test and how my folks are still with me, letting me know that I’m going to be okay. I know that there are those out there that may believe that I’m not, but they’re wrong. My daddy didn’t raise no candy-assed pansy. I’ve had day off to recharge, I don’t need two, I don’t need a week, just one will do. I made it and I am fully aware that tomorrow it may all start over again, but I’m ready. Bring it on!
#thelieswechoosetolivewith
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