Important life lessons that aren’t taught nowadays

I can’t remember not working.

One of my earliest memories is having the incredibly noble job of picking rocks at my grandfather’s farm. We were given a bucket and instructed to walk around a big field picking up rocks. Empty the bucket and repeat.

I graduated to gate duty during haying season. To give you an idea of my age, my grandfather died when I was eight and he was alive when I started this resume-building task.

I would walk up to where the field behind my grandparents’ house met the woods with a thermos full of Koolaid in hand and a fold-up chair, ready for my highly respected role of gate opener and closer. I would open or close the gate when workers came through with loads of hay.

I had no form of entertainment other than my mind. I can recall on one occasion a groundhog came out of its hole and it started to creep perilously close to me. I threw a rock. It came closer.

I hollered at it. It didn’t retreat.

I stood fixed in a state of indecision: should I run down the field to grandma’s and risk the wrath of her calling me lazy or did I stand up to the perhaps rabies-infested groundhog that was closing in on me? I ran.

From gate duty, I moved on to babysitter. I would come home from being in town and there would be a list of phone messages on the table from people looking for a sitter.

I babysat a lot for my uncle, who had four kids (including twins) under five. They also ran a business out of their home - the phone rang nonstop and people came to the door constantly. I was both a babysitter and office administrator at 12 for $3 an hour.

NEEDED FINANCES

I wanted things my parents would not buy for me and the only way to get them was to make my own money.

The Pacesetter was the cool shop in town and I yearned for a pair of Ikeda jeans. I would put them on layaway and, every time I babysat, paid a little until finally, one day, the balance was zero. They were mine. The ecstasy of anticipation!

When I was 15, I landed a job at a local gift shop in town and for the next five years I worked almost every Thursday and Friday evening and Saturdays. Thank God stores were closed on Sundays then.

After my first year of university, I ventured to Calgary to work for the summer and live with my oldest brother. I got a job landscaping. During university, I worked at our local radio station when I didn’t have classes on Fridays, I counted pills as a pharmacy tech and I slung drinks as a bartender.

All the while, I participated in almost every committee,

play, student government, social activity and, of course, I went to school (and somehow or another, managed to get really good grades).

I took my jobs seriously and my bosses (and parents) expected a certain level of decorum.

LESSONS NOT BEING TAUGHT

Without sounding like an old battle-axe, what’s going on with people?

Most stores can’t find people to work and living costs are at an all-time high. How do kids have all the things they have? I work on a university campus and I see fake eyelashes, manicured nails, and expensive clothing every day.

I hear people say they can’t find a babysitter. My niece gets paid $15 an hour to watch TV when she babysits in the evenings. I think I might start picking up some gigs at that rate.

Customer service is abysmal. A few months ago, I was being rung in at a store when the guy who was waiting on me got a text. He stopped ringing me in and answered it.

I am not here to suggest I had it all right – I definitely got written up for some ‘not so professional’ antics and I called in sick to attend the ever-so-important Beer Bowl Party.

Through my jobs I learned about communication and customer service, that nothing was going to be served to me on a platter, and if I wanted something I had to work for it.

I learned about professionalism, respect, problem-solving, money, juggling multiple responsibilities and missing out on things because I had an obligation.

I did protest about the God-awful pants I had to wear at the drug store, so I guess I learned about the power of my voice too. Oh, and I did learn about the power of locking the stock room door and taking a 15-minute power nap when I was hungover. These are important life lessons that aren’t being taught nowadays.

With an insatiable love for human behaviour and circumstance, Emilie Chiasson absorbs the world around her and turns her experiences into relatable stories. From her hometown of Antigonish to her travels around the world, she never fails to connect with the characters and perspectives that make life a bit more colourful. Read more at https:// emiliechiasson.wordpress.com/