Karma

So just the last couple of weeks I've been getting shit on by the universe. Things seemed to have conspired against me to make me hate my job, not be able to see those who I want, and the less important things such as stress around the holidays (mostly focused around work), car trouble, laundry (its' a huge hassle to drive 30 minutes away just to wash your clothes and when you work 7 days in a row I frankly don't have 7 complete outfits, I barely have 10 pairs of underwear so you all can imagine what that's like), having enough time to cook for myself... and of course I'm missing a Belmont Christmas with my family which isn't going to happen again for awhile.

I needless to say haven't been a happy camper. But things this week seemed to be going a little easier. I was able to cook myself a big dish which I'm eating for lunch everyday, my laundry still isn't done but I have enough key pieces (clean underwear) to make it to where I can do laundry, and some people in my office have become less annoying. My schedule will also fall into place after the holidays. Which is nice.

However, I am a firm believer in karma. Basic principle you do good things, good things happen to you and then there's the opposite you do bad things, bad things happen to you. Of course I also believe there is a balance to the universe as well. sometimes a string of really awesome things will happen to you, and then followed by a string of really shitty things. Other times it feels like you 'save up' for something good. A string of crappy stuff will happen and it balance with a string of good things. I have the feeling my recent string of bad things has been saving up for last night.

Last night (9:15pm) I was coming home from work and I was on the dirt road that takes me up to where I live. It's a bit narrow and with the extra snow it's also a little slick. Sometimes when two cars meet if both go very slow and just barely make it. This ONLY works if both cars go over as much as they possibly can. The car I met on the road last night didn't move over, at all, in fact they continued driving in the middle of the road. My choices were to hit the car or put mine in the ditch. I figured for the safety of everyone it was best just to ditch my car. Lots of soft snow to cushion Otis's fall (Otis is the name of my car). The person in the car didn't even slow down and continued driving. I tried to back my car up, sometimes you can just get out like that. I didn't try too hard, If you do you will just end up burying your car even more. I knew at that very moment that it was going to take another vehicle to get my car out of the ditch. I also knew that my road was full of rednecks with trucks who LOVE to tow things and pull helpless people out of ditches... no seriously, they really live for this kind of thing. I did the only thing I could do at that point, I put the flashers on my car and got out and started walking up the road. Another car blew right by me, I kind of wanted to tell them to slow down, and then another car came by. This one stopped and I explained that my car was off the road, and they asked if I needed a ride to get where I needed to go. I hopped in and found out that it was my old 3rd grade teacher and her husband. I told them about what happened and my old teacher (who still works at the school) said, well that's too bad, in my 3rd grade class one rule is that everyone has to be nice. And it's not nice that someone drove by you and your car without slowing down or stopping on a winter night when there was clearly a problem. We drove to my place and I asked my neighbors if they could tow me, I have a tow strap in my car (thanks dad) which we used. My neighbors didn't have even the slightest problem going to get my car. And 10 minutes later it was out and by 9:40 I was back at my place, with my car.

Goodwill towards your fellow man isn't something that only exists from December until the New Year. It's a choice that we all can make to help our neighbors. We are all of one world and making it a better place by giving someone a hug, helping them carry their groceries out of their car, and helping pull their car out of a ditch at night, makes it a better world for you too. Thank you to those who helped me last night, and once again Happy Holidays everyone!

Gaining Perspective

So this ski season hasn't started off very well for me. I actually have a life and am trying very hard to live it this year. I have friends who I like to make plans with on the weekends, I have family who live in other parts of the country and I'm trying to set up my next adventure (this will be a new post). This year will be the 3rd year I will have worked in the office I work at. Overall it's been a cushy job, getting two days off a week, making reservations, having full time work, my hours being slightly flexible. The past years I've been rather flexible in my schedule without a whole lot of other priorities other than working. This year however I do have other things going on in my life. Due to a training schedule I have only had one week thus far where I have two days off in a row. Often times this means that I'm working 3 days and then 7 days. Needless to say this is very frustrating.

On my first two days off in a row my plans went down the drain for a number of reasons, all valid. So I decided that I was going to get some stuff done like get my car inspected, grocery shop, do my laundry, get my dress fitted for an upcoming wedding I'm a bridesmaid in, finish Christmas shopping... So I got my car inspected and went grocery shopping. I even went for a hike. This is where my weekend goes down hill. I saved Christmas shopping, dress fitting and laundry for Sunday. On Sunday I woke up to a flat tire. I pumped it back up full of air but was advised to not actually drive on it any more than I absolutely had to, which was to get it fixed. The killer part was the I was actually at a tire warehouse the day before getting my car inspected. Awesome. Nowhere in the state of Vermont actually repairs tires on Sunday. So I was stuck at home, at least I had gone food shopping the day before. On Monday morning I went back and got my tire fixed having just barely enough time to get to work. They were thankfully able to patch it, a total of $30. If I had gone to some other places they may have told me I needed a new set of tires. I then proceeded to have a very terrible day filled with obnoxious people on the phone and in my office.

This whole weekend and Monday were pretty terrible. But today something happened which helped me gain perspective. An elderly woman I know had a flat tire and took her car in, unlike myself, her tire was unable to have a quick patch put in place and all the tires on her car needed to be changed. $400 later this woman had new tires on her car. This is not someone who can afford a $400 car payment. She then was having to reconsider some plans that she had made based her finances. Here is an adult woman who is struggling financially. Even if this woman were to receive $1000 for a Christmas gift, this money would be spent right away on bills, mortgage, prescription medicine, and groceries. Living from paycheck to paycheck is never where I want to find myself. It makes me very sad to hear that someone who is elderly is having to do this. This woman has value in our society yet she is struggling to maintain a simple lifestyle. The financial struggles in life should come at the beginning rather than at the end. Hearing about these troubles especially around the holidays make me thankful for what I do have.

Right now If I were slapped with a $400 car bill, I would be able to pay it. I would gripe, and probably complain, but I would be fine. I would still be able to have a cell phone, pay my student loans, eat and buy the things I needed. My troubles at work not having two days off in a row and then having the annoyance of a flat tire, pale in comparison a grandmother who is trying to make the holidays the best they can for their children and grandchildren. Many people in the United States live paycheck to paycheck. I'm thankful that I am not one of them. However, these people have put my own problems into perspective. While annoying and frustrating as my current situation is I still am able to do the things I want within reason. My heart goes out to those who have to sacrifice over the holidays. I hope everyone has a safe place to celebrate among family and friends. I know that this time of year can be stressful and frustrating but please in those times where maybe things aren't going the way you planned please remember those who are less fortunate. Happy Holidays everyone.

'Lodging and Reservations, Melissa Speaking'

So my current desk job is a far cry from living on a glacier, hiking in Yellowstone or outdoor education but it is a job. It works perfectly in my schedule. Just because it's not the ideal job for me doesn't mean I can't go work everyday, make a few dollars and go home.

Here is my rant about jobs:
There are people in this world who do try day after day to find work and can't. This rant is not for these people. This rant is for the college grads who can't find work because they think it's somehow below them to clean a toilet, flip a burger, or run a cash register. I have heard many of my friends from high school say 'oh I can't find work.... It's impossible....' when they live in areas of world that I KNOW contain a Starbucks on every street, a McDonalds on every corner and about 4 hotels in the span on 5 miles. Suck it up, and apply. I realize that college is a lot of money, and when you just paid $80,000 for your education cleaning up vomit may not be exactly what you were envisioning. However, it does not mean that the bills stop coming. Maybe you were lucky enough to have mom and dad pay for college, and don't have student loans, that's great. I always have my jobs lined up. I've never been in a situation where I was jobless. I have to work at it, but I do find work, and I move to it when I find it. If that means mopping a floor, asking someone if they want a refill on their coffee or taking condo reservations over the phone, then so be it. I don't have to go into default on my student loans because of it.

Switching Gears

The winter begins... my slow season. The time of the year where I don't actually have to work more than 12 hours a day and live where I work. The best thing: I go to work. I work. Then I leave after 8 hours. It's great. I realize this is what the vast majority of the people who live in the United States do, but it is not what I do most of the year. In the fall I wake up and I'm at breakfast by 8am and then I'm done with my day by 9:30, sometimes 10. I love what I do, teaching children about the woods is one thing that I am passionate about. After working hard all spring, summer (in Alaska) and fall I'm ready for the 9-5 office job. Best perk it comes with a seasons pass.

However, I'm coming to realize that working at the ski mountain is not something that I can continue to do every single winter for the rest of my life. You may laugh but when I was 15 I had a nightmare that I never wanted to be realized. My nightmare takes place when I'm 30, I wake up I'm in a grungy apartment living in Ludlow I work at the mountain and the most expensive thing I own is my ski gear. I'm dangerously close to making that nightmare a reality. I've decided that this has to be my last season working at the mountain. I would even feel better working at another ski mountain, I just can't continue to live and work in the same town I attended high school. So while unfortunately this is my last season, I'm going to make it a good one.