Structure, it’s the foundation of my life, and something I’ve
held on to that I learned at C.I.P. While I was in the custody of the MN
Department of Corrections—specifically the last 182 days—I woke up at 5:20am
every day, and we were not allowed to nap or lay in our beds for 16 hours until
the command “ready sheets” was given at 9:20. At first it was rough, and I
think any of us would have given one of our limbs for a two-hour nap, but we marched
on, in the figurative and the literal. Sometime within the fourth month, I
started waking up every day before the lights came on, usually by just a few
minutes, and I felt refreshed and ready for the day. I needed to learn from
this.
Over a year later, and I think I finally have that back.
Although I don’t get up quite as early, I’m up and out of ben by 7am almost
every day. Poor Ben. Of course, that was a typo, but I let it slide and made
fun of it before any of you readers could. You know who you are. Out of bed is
what I meant to type, and definitely what I meant to relay.
I have found that when I go for long periods of waking up at
nearly the same time, my days are far more productive than if I were to sleep
in until, say, 9am. And I have further resolved that I actually enjoy keeping
busy throughout the day, and am rarely tired until the last couple hours of the
day, usually after I get back from the gym and have showered and eaten. Now, if
you’ve read all of that and are still with me, I’ll be amazed. I’m now over 300
words into this post, and I really haven’t decided what to write about. But,
now I have it.
I made a decision the other day while I was sitting in my
recliner, in the middle of a week off of work, without pay. I realized that
even though I like my job at the Xcel Center, and I love working with food, I
cannot stay in another dead-end job with absolutely no benefits. So I made a
brash decision to apply for a job with Amazon, because they offer full benefits
from day-one, and are hiring full-time employees and starting them at more than
I make in the kitchen.
I know I wrote a while back about me getting a promotion,
and I even wrote two weeks later that I had to have a conversation with them
about nothing happening, and it’s now longer than two weeks since that
conversation and still nothing has been done. And, even if I did get a raise
and more responsibility, I would still have no retirement fund, stock options,
P.T.O., and medical and dental insurance. This opportunity with Amazon carries
all of those the day I start.
So I filled out an application, and went through a few more
steps in the highly-automated process, and I’m going in on Thursday after
receiving a contingent job-offer today. Now, nothing is official yet, but my
brain is telling me that this is an opportunity that I shouldn’t pass up.
Somebody close to me today pointed out the other benefits of doing something
that I’m passionate about, and having bosses that like me and appreciate my
work. It’s true, I’m keen on cooking, and my bosses love me, but those things
in combination with the occasional pat on the back do not pay my rent, or help me obtain regular medical and dental
care. I need to work somewhere for more than just a paycheck; I can continue to
explore my passion for food with my paid time off.
Does all of this seem a bit sudden? I think so. But I truly
think this move, if I decide to make it, will be a good one for me. And that’s
it for tonight.
