"Don't Slip Up: My Weekend of Hell"

These are officially the ugliest, most uncomfortable shoes I’ve ever owned.

I think this was the first time in my life that I’ve ever bought shoes that I didn’t love. These shoes were a requirement not a fashion statement, trust me. First of all, they’re uncomfortable. Second of all, slip-on shoes with no buckles or laces are just not okay. They look like clogs but with a back and I don’t usually hate on shoes, but I HATE clogs with a passion. I find them extremely unflattering.

These shoes are made of the weirdest material. It’s like a weird pleather material that just doesn’t want to bend. They also have no arch which means no support, which means they’re uncomfortable. They make my feet literally throb and ache.

I had to buy them because they’re “non-slip” shoes. I started my job at McDonald’s last week and it was a requirement to get them to avoid accidents in the restaurant. My friend Shevawn works at both American Eagle and McDonald’s and helped me get the jobs. I was so excited because the last couple summers I get really restless not having anything to do or any money to spend. Plus, at American Eagle I get a discount which is awesome by itself. (Shoes, shoes, shoes!) You know my position on discounts!

This last weekend, which I now refer to as the “weekend of hell,” I worked 40 plus hours between Friday and Monday. Needless to say…I barely sleep. Saturday and Sunday I slept a total of one hour. I worked 29 hours at McDonald’s and then 12 hours at American Eagle doing floor sets.

The scheduling happened this way because I got the job at American Eagle and agreed to do the floor sets from 9pm to 4am Saturday and Sunday. Right after that I was hired at McDonald’s and immediately put on the schedule...three 8 hour shifts and one 5 and a half hour shift on the weekend. My first reaction was that there is no way I could do this. But then I realized that it was going to happen anyway. And I needed to just decide to give it my all and convince myself that this wasn’t impossible.

But…it practically was impossible.

No human body is meant to work that many hours, with maybe an hour of sleep a day. A body just doesn’t function on one hour of sleep, especially when you’re doing physically demanding work.

At McDonald’s I have to wear a uniform. The shoes are a part of the uniform.  Wearing a uniform is omething I’ve never had to do for a job before. Every job I’ve ever had has been cushy with a capital C. I worked for the Y.M.C.A. where I was paid for literally just hanging out with kids all day. I worked at an office where I did a lot of copies, stapling and shredding. And I’ve worked for a country music station where I basically sat and listened to country music while handing out magnets.

 I wanted the job at McDonald’s because I wanted to challenge myself. I decided it was time for a real job with real expectations, things to strive for and things to learn. I also wanted to be busy and have hours that worked with my schedule. Plus I couldn’t keep something my nonfiction creative writing professor told me the last day of Advanced Non-fiction…

“Any minimum wage, terrible job you have, will just give you some great material.”

Which it already is..I got a blog post out of it! That of course is not the only reason I took the job, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a part of it. If that isn’t dedication to the craft, I’m not sure what is.

I was ready for my new job but I was definitely not ready for the weekend from hell. I was in such a fog that I wasn’t even sure what day it was. I couldn’t sleep for more than 20 minutes without walking up in a panic worried I was late for some shift. All I did for four days was eat, sleep and work. I was working long days and there wasn’t enough sleep, red bull, coffee, or eye drops to get me through it. I couldn’t even see straight at one point and had to beg my American Eagle boss to let me go home a little early for fear I’d pass out or crash.

Working at McDonald’s is definitely interesting. Customers can be very nice but they can also be very mean. I try to put my smile on and be nice to everyone I deal with, but it’s a challenge sometimes. Many people give an order that I read back to them, agree and pay and then get their food complaining that I messed up their order. It’s a frustrating experience but it can also be rewarding. I feel like I’m respected by the people I work with because I pull my weight and there are regular customers that seem to actually like seeing me every morning.  

These ugly shoes did absolutely nothing for me this weekend. I was standing for the whole day and these shoes were killer. I had to get used to standing for long periods of time in general and these shoes just didn’t help me out at all. Basically the moral of the story is I’m getting Dr. Scholls inserts…just kidding.

But seriously, I’ve learned a lot about myself this weekend. I know that people always say that you can do anything you put your mind to and now I can say that I truly believe that statement. There were so many moments this weekend where I wanted to give up. There were so many moments where I said there’s no way I can do another minute, there’s no way I can do another shift. There’s no way I can take another order, or lift another rack of clothes. But I did. When I thought I was going to pass out, I took a couple deep breaths and told myself I would make it. I was proud of myself because I didn’t half-ass it either, I worked extremely hard and busted my ass to prove to both employers that I could pull my weight. If you ever think you can't get through your shift and your feet ache and your back is killing you and customers are driving you crazy just put a smile on and push through. Because I've realized after this weekend that relaxing after accomplishing something like that is an amazing feeling that feels even better than a day off. 

I told myself to just look forward to it being over so I could sit and just relax and do nothing. I’ve never been so excited to simply sit and rest.