Before I started my job, I was afraid it would consume my life - or that my life would not only revolve around my job but also mainly consist of my job (i.e. I'd have no life outside of my job). I see that fear gradually becoming a reality, but it really isn't that bad. I'm not working around the clock, but I am starting to live for the interactions that I have with my co-workers. It's just that they're so nice to me! They always have something nice to say - whether it's "Good morning," or some other greeting.
One woman told me that although she hadn't met me, she'd always noticed that I had '
perdy lips'
every time she saw me around. She said she thought that I had had cosmetic surgery on them, and commented on my '
perdy lips' to all the people that passed us in the hall. It was odd, extremely odd to be told I have pretty lips (by a woman, no less! although she did tell me she meant nothing by it other than a compliment), but it was also oddly flattering.
Then there's Steve who checks the balances every morning. He always makes a point of coming to greet me and ask me how I'm doing when he comes and calibrates the balance next to my lab bench. When I told him that I had moved into a new apartment, he told me that a young, attractive woman like me shouldn't have any trouble getting help to move her in.
Michael echoed those sentiments when he told me that if I needed any help at all, say someone to do some heavy lifting, that he'd be happy to help me (I should mention that both of these men are old enough to be my father, are both happily married, and that nothing dirty is meant or implied in what they or I say). Michael is perhaps the nicest man I've met there - he always has something nice to say to me, whether it's that he's surprised I didn't melt in the rain because I was so sweet, or that my staying late may be bad for me but it was good for them because it meant that they got to have me around just a little longer.
The other Michael (aka "The Professor") told me that he liked walking past me in the mornings at work because I always had a smile on my face, and then he asked if I had any relatives out in the
Midwest because I reminded him strikingly of his nephew's wife, and he has always thought that his nephew married very well indeed.
And then Kathy is always nice to talk to, and she's always bright and chipper in the mornings, and today she took me out to lunch at Bear E Patch because she wanted to get me an apartment-warming present but didn't know what I'd need. She also bought a book for me to read just because she knew I liked to read and thought I might be interested in it.
And then there's Mel - who is without a doubt the sweetest person I have ever met. She befriended me right from the very start and is always doing things for me. My first day working the 4am to noon shift, she went by
Chik-
fil-a and bought me a chicken biscuit for breakfast. Before I even started my shift, she invited me to go out with her and her friends to see a movie in North Charleston. When she heard that I wanted to see the movie Seven, she went out an bought it and after we'd watched it together, she insisted that I keep it. Just yesterday she bought me a pack of
Pepsis because she knew I liked it and had come across a deal when she was out grocery shopping (and I think she knew just how strapped for money I am!=D).
I have so many things to look forward to every day at work - and most of them are the people I know there - and when the day waxes on and my feet are throbbing, or I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, or when I'm feeling low or close to tears after another evening spent in complete solitude and silence, I can always count on the people I work with to cheer me up. So now, when I see that work is gradually beginning to take precedence in my life (always excepting family and friends), I accept it, and I find that I am grateful I have something to look forward to. I never thought I'd say this, but...I love my job.
