My Week

Hello all. I don’t really have anything to share this week earth-shaking, but I thought I’d tell you about my week and a couple of my coworkers. I think we get so caught up in the waking nightmare that we see on the news each day that we forget to look at the life that just keeps on going on.

First, we have young Anthony. Anthony (Never “Tony”!) came to us recently out of prison. He had nothing but a string of disappointments and a fervent hope to somehow restart his life. He was so proud of each of his accomplishments that I was grinning like his daddy all proud for him! Of course, the first thing he got himself was a baby.

I shook my head wondering how he could manage to dig his hole deeper, but he loves that baby so much. In time, he bought a car that wasn’t worth the cost of the license plate, but he was walking with a pushed out chest – until it quite literally fell apart on him. But he bought a truck, and he looked upon life like a mountain climber, grinning at each up-hill stride – until his grandfather died this week and this grown man-child cried in my arms.

Then we have Zack. Zack had gotten himself mixed in with someone I’d wished he hadn’t. Despite being a young 18-year old, I couldn’t tell him what to do. He’d need to learn these lessons like we all do, one heart-ache at a time, and that has come true for him.

He finally realized that particular someone that he put so much faith in and followed around like a puppy was not the person he made people believe him to be: he wasn’t particularly cool, wasn’t hip, wasn’t wise, – just mostly a middle-aged negative minded overgrown juvenile delinquent – and Zack finally saw who was behind the image. Now he eats his lunch alone and works his machine with his head down. I can see he’s lonely, so I check in on him a couple times a day, sad that he’s feeling that pain but proud that he’s realized the truth.

Too many times I’ve focused on those things that went wrong, losing myself in criticism and frustration. I’d miss these little moments in some misguided hope that I could bring perfection to the shift, to the business, and somehow it would all be right in the end.

But life is messy and so much of that mess is my own. People fail, frustratingly so, but they also succeed. I wish I was wise enough to focus solely on those good moments and walk through the dark valleys with that sunshine in my eyes. Those two young men had their own share of mistakes this week, one of them quite costly, but I had an opportunity today to see a peek behind the curtains and the life not always for public consumption and it reminded me that there is a whole lot to life.

When being mean is a kindness

I had a very uncomfortable moment today at work. One of those confrontations at the cross-roads of life for one young man.

My painful, often unpleasant and almost always unappreciated calling is as a shop supervisor. I sit between the owner and the employee, constantly called upon to wrestle one or the other. If I do my job right, things go smoothly. And, for such a small word, “if” carries a great deal of weight.

Today, while off site purchasing needed supplies, I get a call that a very unhappy employee, who has been working part time through a workman’s comp’ claim, wanted to see me. I hustled back to work and was immediately confronted by this worker and his mother. And, Momma Bear was pissed, seeking to take out her protective instincts for her little cub on that big nasty supervisor… That little cub who is 34 years old, mind you.

I greeted them warmly and invited them to have a seat at the conference table in the outer office where I would have witnesses. Just in case, ya know? And then Momma Bear let loose with accusations and demands to know why her little “Furry” one hasn’t been getting paid from us and is getting only a pittance, her general phrase – Scottie doesn’t like me to swear here – from the workman’s comp’ insurance. She went on to tell me I should be ashamed of myself, who did I think I was, etc.

I slowly lifted my hand with one finger raised, interrupting her rant. “Furry’s” eyes got quite large at that. Perhaps it’s not wise to interrupt Momma Bear.

“Pardon me ma’am”, I quietly said into the ringing wide-eyed silence, “Your “Furry” is over 18 and is the employee. You are here to support your son, and I am good with that, but unless you are his lawyer I can’t talk to you about his employment.” To be honest, I don’t know if that is the law or not, but it sounded good. “Now, “Furry”, what can I do for you today,” I asked.

He told me about not getting a check, getting only a little from the insurance company but not enough to cover his needs. I then, quietly reached over and picked up that bus with one hand, grabbed “Furry’s” collar with the other, and chucked him directly under said bus!

“Furry”, I said, “I have documentation from your doctor clearing you for work 3-days per week, 8 hours per day, with a list of physical restrictions. I have allowed you to set your own schedule on that, right?” He agreed. “And, in the last 5-weeks, you have logged a total of 6.75 hours,” I said, looking directly into Momma Bear’s eyes.

Momma wasn’t happy.

Have a great night everyone.

Hugs.

Randy

Some things of interest I caught up over the weekend-

This guy used to write a Substack that I’d read as I had time, but usually always got to his Links writeup. You can see this week’s here; all the bits are choice, but I’m snipping one into this post. It’s a varied lot, but there’s at least something for everyone. When you need something to read, take a look!

Here are snippets of the piece I mentioned just above.

I’m on my hols right now.

Breakfast from the supermarket and bakery, for three people, costs a shade over 7 euros. Two fancy-pants coffees to-go costs a shade over 8 euros.

That seems like the right kind of gearing? Essentials are easily within reach; luxury items you have to think about.

Essentials are like: basic groceries, broadband/phone, roads, education, healthcare, energy, water, rent up to a certain amount etc. “Normal” coffee, house wine, that kind of thing.

It’s very hard to justify, in my head, why these should be the province of profit-seeking companies. Given we all have to have them, why should some people get to leach on that? Yes the profits are taxed but that’s an inefficient way to collect extra money from citizens.

We all form a government which is a kind of enlarged co-operative really. Why don’t we make a basket of essentials, democratically argued about and iterated over time, then nationalise not-for-profits to run supply chains and shops for them?

Just… take essentials out of the for-profit bit of the economy.

Our priorities have lost their way somewhere along the line.

And good for for-profit companies too, right? People without broadband can’t buy from Shein; can’t receive deliveries from Amazon. People without their health, without education can’t staff them. Remove the friction by making essentials work. (snip)

Come to Europe and get low-key radicalised haha

The EU may (or may not) be making technology policy missteps, but they are gently and patiently promoting a certain way of life which feels globally very, very special, and fundamentally counter to the hypercapitalism found elsewhere. (emph. mine-Ali)

Honestly I’d like to see serious economic papers that compare the two approaches. Why not do it this way? Why not go further and, as I suggested, choose radical nationalised businesses for essentials? Genuinely what is the problem with that? Why isn’t it simply obvious that we should live our lives in comfort, with room to participate and be kind to each other, and knock off early to go to the beach early on sunny days? And that’s not compatible with profit-extracting water suppliers etc, and shops run by people not just on minimum wage but without any kind of employment protection?

Why can’t politicians propose these kind of ideas, even as a generational directional plan rather than an election promise, without getting yelled at? (snip)