My Work Sucks...

So, basically, my job sucks. Like really. I work at a grocery bag factory doing manual labor. I am a factory worker. I work 12 hour days, anywhere between 3 and 6 times a week. I work in 100+ degree heat with little ventilation. I have to wear a wonderful highlighter yellow/neon green shirt (I'm not really sure what color it is) and I get no vacation days. I am on my feet for the majority of the 12 hours "packing" machines. Which means I load cardboard boxes into and take cardboard boxes full of plastic bags out of the machine. My job is boring.

HOWEVER...

This job is really, really good for me. Like really. I really don't mind hard work if I know the reason for it. For example, sports practices in high school were tolerable because we were allowed to sit for breaks pretty often, and they were only 3 or 4 hours at the most. I don't mind hard work, if it's not too hard. I've never had to REALLY work hard. In my life. Ever. I am learning stamina from this job. If something is hard, it's ok. And if I feel like I'm dying but still have a job to do, as long as I haven't fainted yet or am still on my feet, I CAN DO IT.

This job is also great for finding out who I am. I'm still not so sure the type of person I am, and even though I work in a factory there are still some really great people that work there. Like there's this guy, an operator who operates the 3 bag machines I have been packing all month, is amazing. He was told when he became an operator, by his operator, that he needed to remember where he came from. So, in addition to doing his operator duties, he is VERY OFTEN out helping me pack and during breaks he packs half of my 6 machines. Amazing. He is also always saying 'thank you' for every little thing that I try to help him out with and also ALWAYS thanks me for a good day running the machines. He even says thank you for no reason at all and gives genuine complements often. I have learned that even though people expect factory workers to be coarse and mean and use foul language, factory workers can also be kind and helpful. You cannot allow your job to define you. You cannot allow others to define you.

 You have to define you.