photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Many years ago I had an-eat–your-soul job. You know the kind: you should take some days off but they sigh and frown on it even though you just worked 20 hours overtime and slept under your desk a couple of nights when it wasn’t worth driving home. I was conscientious, a loyal, valuable and hardworking employee. I was delusional.
I caught a terrible cold one winter and felt there was no way I could call in sick. I was going through a box of tissues a day, hacking my way to bronchitis. Each night I came home, sucked up chicken soup and Advil. Twice I fell asleep with a face plant at the table.
The cough got so bad that on my non-existent lunch hour I went to the Kroger pharmacy and bought a big bottle of Robitussin to silence my hackfest. When I checked out, the cashier told me I looked terrible. I felt like a discarded doormat.
In the parking lot I opened the bottle and proceeded to slug twice the recommended dose (maybe more, I was not in my right mind). As I came up for air I noticed that the women in the car next to me had shielded her son’s eyes. I heard her shriek, “DON’T LOOK OVER THERE LEON! THAT WOMAN IS A DRUG ADDICT. THIS IS SHAMELESS. I SHOULD CALL THE POLICE!”
Oh yes, there I was. Another cough syrup chugging addict in the parking lot of Kroger in a suit and pantyhose with a store bought turkey and swiss on the seat beside me. Forget that I was coughing up a lung with a nose like W.C. Fields.
Those days are long gone. But it took some time and some deep self questioning on why I felt I needed to be wonder woman to bring me around.
What about you? Have you ever made a terrible choice thinking you were the only one who could save the day? You know, like the time you drove round trip from Denver to Boulder to see a concert and everyone else fell asleep in the car and you were driving and ended up waking up in the median? Leave me a comment. You know I love hearing from you!
