Three Day Week

When the weekend starts on Wednesday night, that makes Tuesday night like Thursday, right? Thank gawd. Today was my second nine hour day without a lunch break. I ate my sandwich while driving from the warehouse to the new building. I know I ate a hot dog yesterday but I don't remember doing so.


I never had this happen when I worked in an office. I always took my lunch, though I did occasionally work on a weekend (even though I don't believe in working on a day off). I know that part of this is because I'm one of those people who will "do one more thing" before going to the bathroom, taking a break, or sitting down (sometimes the first will suffice for all three). I also know that this is the standard the Food Bank Director has set. He's been working like a demon, and the clients need us every minute, so I work like a demon too. Usually he tells me to "go" but this week neither of us have had the time to speak to each other, let alone give each other orders.


In all this the volunteers have been incredible. They've all been working so hard and so steadily, and most of them don't take breaks, even when they work more than a few hours. I have one volunteer I have taken to lecturing about eating and resting; he just laughs and says things like "I drank an Ensure." I think tomorrow I'm going to bring him a sandwich in my lunchbox. Another volunteer worked all afternoon and drove a client and her little girl home so she wouldn't have to deal with all the groceries and a tiny hand.


It is much easier to work this hard when you like what you're doing, all of the volunteers are agreed. Most of them have retired from their careers and my sense is that when you choose, it's easier, more interesting, and more fun to do whatever you're doing.


I have given everyone Friday off. Since we're going to be closed, almost all of them understood I was pulling their legs. One of the volunteers called the Food Bank Director to make sure that it was all right that I had given her the day off.


Sorry, I'm too tired to write something that's not about the food bank.