Being a mother is the best job I’ve ever had, and it was a full-time responsibility. The pay wasn’t great, and the hours were long, but the rewards filled my heart. Like many other men and women, I financially needed to venture outside the home to find employment.
Babysitting was the first paying job I ever had. I have mentioned my teenage summer jobs as a labourer with the Young Canada Works Program doing painting, grass cutting and other maintenance work around the community and as a waitress at the Paris Café in Leask.
Administrative Assistant at a school was my main source of employment for thirty-seven years. I remember the evening after my interview when they called and said I got the job. My mom, who seldom drank, pulled a bottle of gin from the kitchen cupboard and we both took a swig to celebrate.
Babysitting was the first paying job I ever had. I have mentioned my teenage summer jobs as a labourer with the Young Canada Works Program doing painting, grass cutting and other maintenance work around the community and as a waitress at the Paris Café in Leask.
Administrative Assistant at a school was my main source of employment for thirty-seven years. I remember the evening after my interview when they called and said I got the job. My mom, who seldom drank, pulled a bottle of gin from the kitchen cupboard and we both took a swig to celebrate.
I tried my hand at a few other things along the way to supplement our income. Working more than one job at a time plus keeping up with the things a person needs to get done at home can feel overwhelming at times. Many people have a full-time job plus a second job and sometimes even a third job. They manage their side businesses during any spare minute that they can squeeze out of their day. They juggle all these duties like a circus performer making it look so easy to the outside world, but it is exhausting. The pressure to do more and make more money is always there.
I worked at a confectionery pumping gas, scooping ice cream, short order cooking, cleaning and keeping an eye on the car wash and laundry mat that were attached. One summer I worked at a farm planting echinacea, which was no easy task. We worked out in the hot sun, kneeling on the ground planting individual little echinacea plant plugs one by one.
Part time employment also lead me to work for the health region as a dietary aide and in the house keeping department. Going from a six-hour day to a twelve-hour day was definitely an eye opener for me.
Although I have retired from my fulltime job at the school, my journey into retirement has seen me returning there as a substitute in the office and as an educational associate working in classrooms with students.
As you know my most recent endeavour has been the this blog, a podcast and a Gift Shop. I have also taken a step into the world of freelance writing and have been fortunate enough to have several of my stories published.
I worked at a confectionery pumping gas, scooping ice cream, short order cooking, cleaning and keeping an eye on the car wash and laundry mat that were attached. One summer I worked at a farm planting echinacea, which was no easy task. We worked out in the hot sun, kneeling on the ground planting individual little echinacea plant plugs one by one.
Part time employment also lead me to work for the health region as a dietary aide and in the house keeping department. Going from a six-hour day to a twelve-hour day was definitely an eye opener for me.
Although I have retired from my fulltime job at the school, my journey into retirement has seen me returning there as a substitute in the office and as an educational associate working in classrooms with students.
As you know my most recent endeavour has been the this blog, a podcast and a Gift Shop. I have also taken a step into the world of freelance writing and have been fortunate enough to have several of my stories published.
When I am not writing, subbing, spending time with The Grans, making things for the gift shop or attending craft shows, I like to work on the children's stories that I have written. I said to The Hubs the other day "retirement is exhausting".
We learn so much from our different employment experiences. They are part of what shapes us into who we are. As an entrepreneur, I have no one to blame for my shortcomings and only myself to depend on for the success of my ventures.
Working with the general public, children, the elderly and people from different cultural backgrounds has taught me a great deal and I am still learning every day. Working outside or at a job where I was on my feet all day gave me a whole new appreciation for people who continue at those types of jobs for the long haul.
Every day we encounter people in different walks of life and don't stop to think what it would be like to do the job that they are doing. I think society would be better off if we all walked a mile in someone else's work shoes every now and then.
We learn so much from our different employment experiences. They are part of what shapes us into who we are. As an entrepreneur, I have no one to blame for my shortcomings and only myself to depend on for the success of my ventures.
Working with the general public, children, the elderly and people from different cultural backgrounds has taught me a great deal and I am still learning every day. Working outside or at a job where I was on my feet all day gave me a whole new appreciation for people who continue at those types of jobs for the long haul.
Every day we encounter people in different walks of life and don't stop to think what it would be like to do the job that they are doing. I think society would be better off if we all walked a mile in someone else's work shoes every now and then.
What has been your most rewarding job?
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