A lot has changed since my last diary SO long ago. When we last spoke back in October I bitched about being a cashier for The Man. I said I wanted out. I'm still a cashier at a grocery store, but now it's a small natural-foods store, it's locally owned, I can wear what I want, with no name tag, and if I ask the customers if they want a plastic bag they frequently recoil in horror like I've offered them a fresh dog turd.
IT'S SO AWESOME!!!!!
Same job. Same duties. Same fucking produce codes. Even the same customers, since my new job is just across the street from the old one. But the contrast could not be stronger.
In Corporate World, everyone hates their job. Even the managers who are making real money hate their jobs. People are differently cheerful about this, but it never goes away, like a slightly noxious miasma. In...um...Hippie Owned Small Business World, everyone loves their job and has been with our boss for years and years. People have left for extended periods to pursue other goals and then returned to employment. Sometimes people are grumpy here too, as humans are everywhere, but in general the vibe is much more positive.
At my corporate job, I got no discount. None. And every day I had to watch enough food to feed a literal army, and yes I have fed an army, or at least a platoon, go into the compactor and be wasted. Now I enjoy substantial discounts on everything in the store, and the food and other items that can't be sold are given to the staff. I get a lot of food, mostly rice but choicer items too, and plenty of magazines, bodycare things, and even vitamins.
Back in Hell, my friend and I fought to implement recycling in the breakroom but were constantly thwarted. In Ecotopia we reuse or recycle EVERYTHING. My boss never gets rid of anything that might be reused or repurposed. Our compost goes to the local urban farm, City Roots. We have the smallest trash dumpster available, but still it rarely needs emptied.
I no longer have concerns about the mental health of the cows and chickens who create my favorite foods, because now I know the farmers who care for them and I have heard them argue about whose livestock is happiest.
Yes, it's Bizarro World! And after only three months, strange things are happening to me. I'm much, much happier. I quit smoking cigarettes. I went from two liters of Coke a day to four ounces. I'm eating healthier and taking care of myself, and I've even lost twenty pounds. I've gotten interested in Buddhism and started practicing meditation. I've made new friends who are optimistic, knowledgeable, interesting people.
Most importantly, I am now a better friend to my loved ones, because my mental health is so much better. I no longer dread going to work, and while I'm there, I'm content. I don't watch the clock. I'm always surprised when it's time to go. It isn't an ordeal to be gotten through, but a pleasant way to spend the day. I'm looking forward to seeing more changes in my life as I tread this new path.
