Perspective. That is what I have gained over the past two weeks while working full time hours at the local dollar store. The store initially hired 30 people to set up the place and we were told would only keep the best 8 to 10 workers. When I say set it up I mean to transform an empty shell...from putting in shelving...to unloading trucks...to lifting heavy boxes to their departments...then sorting said heavy boxes...to putting everything out on the shelving nice and orderly. May sound easy...NOT...may sound fun...NOT...may sound worth minimum wage...DEPENDS. Depends on how much you need money and how much it is worth to
brutalize your body.
I calculated that it was going to take me three hours of working, hard intensive laboring work, to earn $20 after taxes. Yes, you heard right. Now my 38 year old body, after having five kids, and not being in the best of shape finally ended up giving out. One of the last days I went in I woke up and couldn't move my head. I
literally could not turn my head from one side to the other. I worked through it...I had made a
commitment to work...and was going to finish the job. Besides, I was
proving a point to my children. On my birthday, June 1, I woke up and literally hobbled out of bed. It was nuts. I felt 80 years old...and the worse part was that I had thrown my lower back out and was having muscle spasms.
During my two week full time labor intensive work experience I started to learn the value of a dollar even more. For instance, my kids wanted to go out on the weekend and visit Viking Fest, enjoy a movie and some food. They wanted me to hand them $40. I sorta flipped out. Okay, I did flip out and told them that if I had to be on my feet doing labor intensive work for six flipping hours then I think they could give me eight hours of light work in exchange. Jacob looked at me and said, "I want Dad's 40 dollars". Well, what they don't realize that dad's 40 dollars was earned by several years of unemployment while attending college and getting his master's degree...and we are still paying off those student loans. So, his 40 dollars isn't much either, even with his large pay check. Perspective...that is what I am talking about.
This has been a good experience for my oldest, Jordan. He has worked even harder in the back stock room. He now knows exactly what hard work is. As a matter of fact he mentioned the other day that, "when I graduate from college and get a good job I will never forget my dollar store days". How is that for perspective? Not to mention motivation. Because working at the dollar store is as good as it gets with only a high school education.
So what now? Well, I noticed while reading the company manual that two people could not work in the same store if they were in the same family. So
I opted out and Jordan has the job in our town. As for me, they still wanted to keep me on. I am now hired very part time in the town 15
mins away. The hardest part is over. The shelves are completely stocked, the store looks amazing...especially for a dollar store. And what is cool is that I have ownership and pride in what that store looks like. As I left the store tonight I realized how much I have learned about life and myself, and as Jordan put it best, I will always remember my dollar store days.
