Working through it...

Work. We all do it, whether we do it at home or at a place of employment. And like I said, I am a retail manager. Now, I know when you hear manager, you think of the guy in the blue shirt who is always freshly laundered, neatly pressed and wearing a tie, who looks like he just sits in the office and says " Do This! Do That!", but I am not that kind of manager. I am the woman who recently had to take an umbrella into the mens room to repair the sink because two kids yanked the faucet handle off and water was shooting to the ceiling. I go to work clean and come home looking like I rolled on the floor all day. I am filthy from my feet to the top of my head. I use my boobs as a shelf, so when I come home, they are two clearly defined circles of dirt on my shirt. I unload trucks, clean restrooms, stock shelves, clean up vomit, blood and for some odd reason, at least once a month I find a pair of poopy undies in the men's room. On top of all that, I manage a PHARMACY.  Full of sick people.  Yep... the ideal environment for a woman whose immune system is now compromised.

Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. Strangely enough, I love my job. Well.... let me amend that... I love my customers. I love getting things done. I enjoy my staff. I feel a sense of pride when I look around my store and it looks neat. I love my boss. In fact, the only part of my job that I really don't like is everything regional and up. You know how it is when you work for a corporation. Lots of people who are years removed from the real work of running a store telling you how to do your job. But I digress...

As soon as I started this, my staff jumped right in to help me get through it. They dealt with schedules that changed on a moments notice due to my vomit comets. They switched duties with me so I was no longer unloading the trucks. They monitored my energy levels and picked up where I was falling behind.  My pharmacy staff waged war with the insurance company to get me my medication in the amount that I needed when I needed it at the price I should pay, not some weird made up price they tried to charge us.

Then there were the customers. My regular customers have got to be the greatest people on the face of the planet. I have had more people stop to hug me, talk to me, pray with me and generally show me that they love me than I think anyone in any other line of work would ever experience.  As we moved through the months of chemo, I had people stopping in just to check on me. As we get closer to my surgery day, I have those same people writing down my surgery date on calendars so they know when to pray for me. These are some awesome customers. Sometimes, I come in to work and find envelopes left for me with pictures and cards. (See why I love my job?)


So what was this whole stream of babble about? I think what I am trying to say in my long-winded way is that while work is hard, and working while undergoing treatment is even harder, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. But it helps if others are there to help you. And for someone like me, who is not a person who likes to ask for help, this has been a learning experience for me. I learned that I don't have to do everything. I learned that for some people I am more than just the lady that manages that store... instead, I am the heart of that place, and you know what... I like it.