As I
look back on all that my life has offered me so far, I recall the memories of
when I was younger and how as a young girl, around seven or eight, I wanted to
be a ballerina (didn’t everyone?) and an ice skater (was I for real?). Yes, I actually thought that those dreams of mine
would come true.
I was
never going to be a ballerina or an ice skater, but I had dreams…….
As I got
older, I thought working in an office would be cool. Being a secretary would be
interesting and rewarding. How great, I thought. An employer would call you
into his office and ask you to take dictation then, he would ask you to read
back your notes. It was like you were some sort of goddess and miracle worker
with a pencil and pad in hand. Making appointments for the big boss, screening
all the calls he didn’t want to receive, keeping his files up to date and in
order, shopping for that last minute gift for his wife, getting him a cup of
coffee, or just taking flak when he had a bad day were some of the duties.
Well, I
did become a secretary. It’s better
known today as an Administrative Assistant. It has such a ring to it, “Administrative Assistant”….who are they
kidding? It should have a title of “Officejockeyandmaintenaceandflakcontroller.”
Some of
those days in the office were tense to say the least. If you think a woman on PMS is bad, you
should be around a boss on TNGMW (things not going my way).
Let me tell you, on those days of TNGMW you
can’t hide. There are no cubicles, supply closets, copy rooms, bathroom stalls
that will provide you with enough protection when your boss is on a rampage.
In the early part of this blog, I
said I had wanted to be a ballerina and ice skater. Well, I got to prove myself
on these feats working in an office too. Some days I would have to walk on my
toes, being careful what I do or say and other times I had to skate across the
office floor to do leaps and jumps across the shiny and slick linoleum to get a
job done. Yes, I got a workout at work on those horrific days of TNGMW and
believe me in those pointy stilettos I was just about ready to lose my mind.
It was a job and I am thankful that
I had one. Hey, sixty-five dollars a week and all the flak you can take was nothing to sneeze at back in the 60’s. Now you pay sixty-five dollars to get something
to eat.
Painting was just a past time for
me in high school. I had one art class,
but knew being a starving artist was not going to buy me my first car, which
incidentally was a 1969 light green Camaro.
Loved it! Therefore, I went to business school, got my basic office
background education, then started in an office working from the bottom in a
secretary pool, then eventually becoming a private secretary. This is another title that has a ring to it,
but it should be renamed “Private Torture Chamber Organizer”.
I loved to write in high
school. Hey, I was good at writing late
notes for my friends as excuses for being late to class, writing doctor’s notes
to excuse me from Phys Ed. N-O-O-O! I’m just kidding…In all honesty I worked one
period in high school for the school paper and enjoyed setting up the weekly
bulletins and list of events. I would write small articles, no more than 1,000
words to be used as space fillers in the paper.
I used to run off copies on a mimeograph. Bet you don’t know what that
is? Well, you type your information on a pre-made form that has blue carbon or
purple carbon on the back. After you’re finished adding your information, you
peel back the form and place the colored side down and across the barrel of the
mimeograph and use a handle on the side to crank it. It’s a miracle all the
words that you typed come out on pieces of paper that shoot out from the bottom
of the device. It was a messy way to make copies, but that was then. If you got
that blue or purple on your hands or clothing, you were done. It was not easy to
remove, unless you brought a BRILLO pad to school. I was really good at
cranking those copies out. I could crank the handle at an amazing speed and
watch half of the copies fly across the room. It was fun on some days, until
one day, some of the copies landed at the feet of the principal, who had a look
on his face that could have killed someone.
It’s hard to believe those fun days
are gone forever, but better ones are here now.
I am enjoying painting and writing. Sometimes I use my stenographer’s skills. Incidentally,
it is the PITMAN style of steno. I use it to get my manuscripts ready, but I don’t
like to rely on that too much. I am a little rusty now with stenography and sometimes
I am unable to read my own notes…the old brain is not as sharp as it used to
be. That’s when I get TNGMW.
Looking back at my life, I have a
lot to be grateful for. First I am grateful for my parents, who unfortunately passed
away, my husband of forty-four years, my three children and my three grandsons.
There could not be anything better.
My seventieth birthday will be
approaching soon. I have come to realize
that it is only a number and that my life and attitude can be any number I wish
it to be. I thank God for my health, family and friends and for the ability to
be able to write this and express my thoughts in this wonderful country of
ours, United States of America.
We are all here for a reason. Each
of us has a role to play. How we act out the part is up to us. We can either be
a stand-in, and wait to be called, or we can be the stars that take over the
show.
Enjoy life to the fullest!
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Your Comments Appreciated - Thank you.
