Do Your Share
I want to share a little of my personal work history.
I began working when I was fourteen years old. My dad, who was a truck driver, was laid off from his job. His new job did not pay as well as his old one had paid, so my mom, my sister, and I started a cleaning service - to pay the bills. Every penny that we made cleaning houses, business, rental houses, and repossessed houses went to pay the family bills.
I want to share a little about some of the places we cleaned. Some were nice. Great people lived there, who were wonderful to work for. Others - not so much. I remember one house we cleaned in which cockroaches ran out of the oven when the door was opened. I remember another that had a dead bat in the living room. I remember another where our shoes stuck to the kitchen floor when we walked across it. I remember one business that actually ruined several vacuum cleaners because of what we had to vacuum up on a weekly basis. Did I mention I was fourteen when we began cleaning these?
Oh, I do need to add that, at the same time, we were delivering eight newspaper routes and magazine routes. There was where we got any extra money just to spend on extra needs and some wants. That's how I paid for my $3,000 Fender Telecaster Clarence White model guitar that I had on layaway for a year and a half.
Of course, in the meantime, I still had school. Again, I was fourteen. I will be honest, had I not been homeschooled, I probably would not have graduated from high school. My diploma shows I graduated in August, when I should have graduated in May, according to our schedule. I was behind because of working. But I did graduate, nonetheless. But, to be honest, the only day I had off from everything for several years in a row - all during my teenage years - was Christmas day itself. We worked other weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
Since that time, there has never been a time that I have not worked over the years. I have worked in fast food. I have worked in cellular phone insurance. I have done telemarketing. Right now, I work at Wal-Mart.
So I'm going to be honest - brutally honest - here. I cannot understand the concept of people not being able work. Let me re-phrase that. I know there are some people that have severe physical issues that do not allow them to work. I do understand that. Generally, these are people who have worked their entire lives and can no longer do it. They've earned their time off, believe me.
However, I so often hear the excuses, "I can't do that kind of work" or "My leg hurts, so I can't go to work" or "I don't have an education." I'll be honest, it takes everything I have to hold back my frustration when I hear those excuses. I have a bad back, but I still go to work.
So I'm just going to say this:
I don't care if your leg hurts or your arm hurts or your big toe hurts, there is something you can do.
I don't care if you want to get your education. If I can do it at fourteen, I'm sure you can do it at twenty or thirty or forty or fifty....
You are not above going to McDonald's or delivering a newspaper or going to Wal-Mart. Our classist society may tell you these jobs are for the poor and uneducated, but it's not true. They're for those who are not too good to work.
And when you get one of those jobs, actually do your work. Do not pass it off to someone else who has to do their job and yours, because you are too lazy to do it. Because, believe me from experience, businesses are happy to let that person do all of the work for the same pay you are making. Have enough integrity to get to work on time, do your job to the best of your ability, and know you earn the money you make.
I'm sorry for the ranting post tonight. It is something I feel needed to be said. I hope you can see my point.
I began working when I was fourteen years old. My dad, who was a truck driver, was laid off from his job. His new job did not pay as well as his old one had paid, so my mom, my sister, and I started a cleaning service - to pay the bills. Every penny that we made cleaning houses, business, rental houses, and repossessed houses went to pay the family bills.
I want to share a little about some of the places we cleaned. Some were nice. Great people lived there, who were wonderful to work for. Others - not so much. I remember one house we cleaned in which cockroaches ran out of the oven when the door was opened. I remember another that had a dead bat in the living room. I remember another where our shoes stuck to the kitchen floor when we walked across it. I remember one business that actually ruined several vacuum cleaners because of what we had to vacuum up on a weekly basis. Did I mention I was fourteen when we began cleaning these?
Oh, I do need to add that, at the same time, we were delivering eight newspaper routes and magazine routes. There was where we got any extra money just to spend on extra needs and some wants. That's how I paid for my $3,000 Fender Telecaster Clarence White model guitar that I had on layaway for a year and a half.
Of course, in the meantime, I still had school. Again, I was fourteen. I will be honest, had I not been homeschooled, I probably would not have graduated from high school. My diploma shows I graduated in August, when I should have graduated in May, according to our schedule. I was behind because of working. But I did graduate, nonetheless. But, to be honest, the only day I had off from everything for several years in a row - all during my teenage years - was Christmas day itself. We worked other weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
Since that time, there has never been a time that I have not worked over the years. I have worked in fast food. I have worked in cellular phone insurance. I have done telemarketing. Right now, I work at Wal-Mart.
So I'm going to be honest - brutally honest - here. I cannot understand the concept of people not being able work. Let me re-phrase that. I know there are some people that have severe physical issues that do not allow them to work. I do understand that. Generally, these are people who have worked their entire lives and can no longer do it. They've earned their time off, believe me.
However, I so often hear the excuses, "I can't do that kind of work" or "My leg hurts, so I can't go to work" or "I don't have an education." I'll be honest, it takes everything I have to hold back my frustration when I hear those excuses. I have a bad back, but I still go to work.
So I'm just going to say this:
I don't care if your leg hurts or your arm hurts or your big toe hurts, there is something you can do.
I don't care if you want to get your education. If I can do it at fourteen, I'm sure you can do it at twenty or thirty or forty or fifty....
You are not above going to McDonald's or delivering a newspaper or going to Wal-Mart. Our classist society may tell you these jobs are for the poor and uneducated, but it's not true. They're for those who are not too good to work.
And when you get one of those jobs, actually do your work. Do not pass it off to someone else who has to do their job and yours, because you are too lazy to do it. Because, believe me from experience, businesses are happy to let that person do all of the work for the same pay you are making. Have enough integrity to get to work on time, do your job to the best of your ability, and know you earn the money you make.
I'm sorry for the ranting post tonight. It is something I feel needed to be said. I hope you can see my point.
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