Day 48 of writing every day.
I’ve written many times that I want to practice Aikido more but am not able to because higher-ups at work decided they can just arbitrarily use the fine print in the job contract to tack me on a shift I clearly stated “No” to when asked about my preferences. At first I was okay with it as I assumed it’d be a temporary thing and they just needed me to fill in until someone else can take the assignment.
A whole two months later with no change, the signs all point to them keeping me on a shift I expressly stated I didn’t want. The assignment I’m on looks to be a long-term one as well, and I’m more than fed up with my desire for my preferred work hours being ignored by higher-ups who in practice have treated me like a machine instead of a person with a private life and dreams of more than just going to work for below average wages.
Even if it’s not legally required to pay someone more for shifting a worker’s hours later as long as it doesn’t fall under the late night or early morning pay rate category, it’s not something I believe principled employers and managers should be allowed to get away with. An hour can make a big difference in the quality of life. Just imagine if you did the same amount of work but had no say over if you get off work one hour earlier vs one hour later.
Picking up where the childhood story left off
I wasn’t passionate about Aikido as a kid. It gave me more confidence, I believe, and the practice was enjoyable most times I hadn’t had any chance to try out what I learned nor was I the type to want to hurt people. In other words, I probably still would have gotten beaten up in a fight with other kids if I believed everything worked like they did in class.
In a way I wasn’t as scared of pain from a physical confrontation anymore after the summer school beating I got, and even less after starting Aikido practice. As long as I didn’t freeze up in the face of danger, that could make the difference between life and death, which is what matters the most. I also felt like I was more focused when I started fourth grade at the school my mom had my brother and I transferred to. Maybe my body grew up and that was just part of it, or maybe Aikido was a good outlet for the extra energy I had as a kid.
In school, I excelled at math early on perhaps because it’s like a universal language of sorts. I was ready for multiplication and division ahead of most kids, I think. Science, language arts, science, etc. I probably didn’t do as well because I wasn’t focused. By the third grade I think my English was more than sufficient enough to be on par with my classmates. I don’t really recall when my ESL sessions came to an end.
Funny story, but on our first day of school at the new school, there was a mix-up with the paperwork or something. I ended up going to the sixth grade classroom. I, the kid entering fourth grade, stood out like a sore thumb and I think I remember getting asked if I was in the right classroom or what grade I’m in. Meanwhile my brother went to the fourth grade classroom and must have stood out as well.
Soon enough, the school staff had things sorted out and my brother and I switched places and went to the classroom where we actually belonged. I don’t really know what I missed out on when the homeroom period started, but I guess the excitement of the paperwork blunder had maybe a positive effect for the new kid, helping me make friends right away.
Skipping ahead, my new school happened to have a music program for students that provided them with the opportunity to learn a musical instrument as part of what I assumed to be an elective. I didn’t really understand how a lot of things worked at that time but it seemed like only a small number of students were given the opportunity to as it looked to me like everyone else was just at homeroom doing something while I went to the school’s band room, which was also separate from the music classrooms to my recollection.
I ran out of time today so I’ll write more tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
One Chance Works 