The Spirit of the Holidays in upon us all.
My friend Ric once wrote a short about how we should give each other bags of coal or shit during this time of the year, and be nice the rest of the year. It was a fantastic sentiment. One of which, I cling to in my hopes and dreams.
This week we had our Potluck Thanksgiving luncheon. It's the same every year. All the same people, sit with the same people. And all the poor worker bees bring the food and all the higher ups with way more money eat the food and don't bring anything. It's hard on me to each traditional meals with people I don't like, the table filled with empty conversations. It's just weird, and very creepy. I also don't like having to struggle to provide food for people who have plenty. That's weird and creepy as well.
They did decide to give me holiday pay like the rest of the full time employees. I'm still on workers comp. The cost of their kindness is about $160.00.
Part of me recognized that they were doing me a favor, and they were being kind to me. And part of me didn't want to have my laundry out in the air for decisions to have to be made about, and part of me didn't want to thank people for doing the right thing. And this point of kindness was dramatically not emailed to me, but spoken to me, to drive the point home. I said thank you several times. But, I would have preferred to just have had it told to me in an email. If you have to think about doing the right thing, soooo much, do you deserve recognition for that? And I do recognize and understand that it's just business thinking. If they do for me, then by proxy, they have to do for everyone, and at what cost. I see that point, actually. It was still quite uncomfortable for me. I'm not one to ask for help from the people I love, so with people that I don't love, it's just agony. But, for my child, I will go through whatever personal embarrassing hell that I must, in order to insure that he has a nice, worry free, Holiday Season. He brings out the best in me, that's for sure.
I am getting to run our office clothing drive for the homeless. I did this last year, and we didn't do so bad. This is to help the homeless find clothes appropriate for job interviews. I've been in that situation before, not having something appropriate to wear to better myself. I think that it's a great idea. In our society image is everything. And, although, I am deeply against that, I also know that it's out there. Even after years of clean up and dress up, people judge me all the time.
I have a few people at work who think that I'm just some strange "Austin-type" person...whatever that means. And even more recently, at the hospital, when I pushed my pain medication button too many times, I must be a drug seeker, not in pain.
When these people saw my job title and the rest of my friends and family, they changed their mind, but not at first. Why would someone break their leg to get drugs? Going to Mexico or switching doctors a lot would seems a bit easier route to take. I've never heard of anyone hurting themselves in the manner in which my leg was hurt for shitty hospital grade swag. But, I'm not a scenester, times could have changed.
And now, not having just the right pants or purse can change anyone's life. Yes, this in an important point to make and to remember. And if I can help someone else have that right, one thing, I will make it happen - no matter how silly I think it is that anyone has to have that right, one thing.
We have progressed past the need for warm clothing and food. We are in the realm of fashion. As a society that's what we've made of our people. The homeless are our poorest fashion victims.
If we all just got uniforms, this would be so much simpler. We could go back to judging within, instead of around.
Ahhhh, the Holidays....They make me woefully giddy. And, I say, with my walker, and most sincerely, God Bless of Every One.
On a side note for today: The outside hotdog vender and I are considering writing to a TV reality show and asking for them to film us switching jobs for a bit. Why not?!? People switch moms, why not jobs. I did point out that he's a man, and men typically do succeed in my field of work more than women. So, it might just be a vacation for him. And I, for once in my life, would have to take instruction from a man about the different types of wieners available - he would have to train me on the sale of his wieners. That's just funny, good times.
No comments:
Post a Comment