Insignificant Jobs.

As I have grown into a woman, I have had two invaluable job experiences. One of the jobs was waiting tables. From that little insignificant job, I developed an expertise in dealing with hungry people from large families with insatiable appetites to the single diners with little or no appetite. There is nothing like trying to serve a meal to a large family with several children who know what they want to eat, but that is not what their parents want for them to eat. Then these lovely children proceed to spill their drinks and throw their food all over the place with little regard to the time and effort taken to prepare and serve the meal. They also couldn't care less about the cost and priviledge of eating out. I can remember when I was in my teens and worked as a waitress at the local diner in my small town, I lived in fear of Sundays when the large families would come to eat with us after spending their morning in Church. I knew that by the end of my shift I would be exhausted from serving food and cleaning up the messes of inconsiderate customers. One of the valuable lessons I learned from this experience was that regardless of the fear involved, nothing lasts forever. Everything has it's end and very little of what you fear will kill you. I also learned a lot about feeding children.

The other job I had and believe everyone else should have for at least 3 months of their life is working as an aide in a nursing home. It is an insignificant job, similar to being a waitress, serving and caring for other people, however, nursing homes have a different reality. By a different reality, I mean that most, if not all, of the residents have forgotten most of what their life was all about. They don't remember their family members, they don't remember what they did for a living or if they did anything. Many of them can't even talk. Some are so depressed that they can barely walk from one room to another.

I learned a lot about living life to the fullest while I was working there. I realized that a broken hip in an older person(60 or so) who is not a good health can be a death sentence. I learned that diabetes is deadly. I had heard things before about diabetes like when Mr So&So died from "sugar die beadies"..that is what we called it when we were kids, of course, I never realized the full effect of the dreaded disease. When I was working in the Nursing Home, I met a one legged lady who's leg had just been amputated due to complications from diabetes. She was in the Home because of her depression and immobility. When her children came to visit, she would just sit and stare out the window. She would not leave her room, not even for a stroll around the beautiful atrium. I heard that she died within the year. I am still unsure if she died due to more complications from diabetes or if she just died from sadness.