APPROACHING ANOTHER PHASE IN MY LIFE

               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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