I'm takin' what their givin' cause I'm working for a livin'

I try to live my life by the adage that work does not define who I am, it is merely what I do for a living. This is a difficult concept to put into practice. When you meet people for the first time, often one of the initial questions is ‘what do you do for work?’. Or, my favorite, if you are a woman with children–‘DO you work?’. It can be a struggle to define who you are WITHOUT mentioning what you do for that paycheck. However, for the really lucky, those that are able to spend their workday hours engaging in activities that are their passion, work IS who they are. I have not been that fortunate, yet.

For the last 24 years, I have worked with lawyers. I started this venture as a receptionist at a downtown Seattle law firm. From 8:30-5:30 Monday thru Friday, I sat behind a reception desk. Surrounded by imported Italian leather furniture (that sadly stretched over time leaving ‘butt’ marks on the chairs that completely annoyed my image-conscious boss) and commissioned works of art hanging on the walls. The firm’s proprietor (my main boss) dressed in custom made shirts, Brooks Brothers shoes, and well-tailored suits. My starting salary was the monumental sum of $850.00 a month. I thought I had arrived. I worked hard and I learned a lot of difficult lessons about being a grown-up member of the work force. Later that work and willingness to learn was rewarded with a promotion and a big raise! I have worked as a legal assistant/paralegal ever since.

Over the years, my knowledge of the law grew to include a smattering of municipality/government, personal injury, criminal prosecution, real estate, estate planning, probate, condominium and community association development, civil litigation and foreclosure. Since I enjoy learning, it has been a good fit most of the time. Other times it has been excruciating to punch the proverbial time clock and remain in an environment all day that feels stifling.

Over the years, I have worked with a group of interesting characters. At the first firm, I worked with a woman (who was the same age as me at the time!) who had previously been convinced she was dying. Slowly she revealed her story. She had an affair with a married man who was about 30 years older than her. She was in L-O-V-E with this guy. Frankly I saw pictures and couldn’t understand the attraction–he LOOKED 40 years older than her. As the story goes, he wouldn’t leave his ill wife (oh of course she had to be ill right??) and so my co-worker became quite depressed and became convinced the end of her OWN life was near. She went out and purchased an expensive suit to be buried in. I still remember it, it was light pink and encrusted with lots of ‘bling’–think something that Crystal Carrington would wear in ‘Dynasty’. I remember it because she wore it to my wedding! I still have a picture of her in it and it makes me laugh when I think of her neurotic, yet sad story.

I also once worked with an obnoxious man who thought he had arrived because he was an attorney. This guy, having passed the bar and landed his corner view office, became the mail order king. Every day a new box would arrive filled with something he couldn’t afford, but something he felt he deserved since he was a lawyer. His intelligence bulb was a little dim and he took exception if I would correct him when I transcribed his droning dictation. To this day, I remember one day when I made a type-o and HE got to correct ME. I had mis-typed ‘its’ as ‘it’s’. If you have ever seen me speed type (especially when I am transcribing dictation), you would understand how I made this grievous error. This peacock walked over to my cubby with a dictionary in hand, opened it to the page that had ‘its’ and ‘it’s’ and proceeded to give me a grammar lesson. All I could think was ‘what an ass’. Today I believe he is low-level judge in the next county. Once we had a case and I was given the trial tape to transcribe. When I heard his voice on the tape, I cringed...

Once I worked with a guy who was a bishop in his Mormon church. Great guy, just a little mis-guided. He explained to me in detail how he could avoid payment of income tax because of his church’s requirement to give a large percentage of his income. Uhmmmmm, I don’t think that meant you could claim 8 children when you only had 4, but who am I to question? After I left that firm, apparently he was asked to leave after he dropped by, unannounced, at the new hottie receptionist’s apartment, hoping for a little somethin’ somethin’. Good times, good times.  Then of course there was the time that I worked with a gal who later became my roommate. She was having an affair with our boss. It sometimes got a little, well, complicated. We worked together, lived together, and hung out with our boss in the evenings. Sounds like the makings of a sit-com doesn’t it?

There was the receptionist that we were convinced was addicted to meth. Beautiful girl, long dark hair that hung in ringlets. I believe her e-mail address identity listed her as ‘Poca-hot-ass’. Can you say class-SY? Every day she set up a smorgasbord on her front office desk. She would start the morning off with breakfast, then second breakfast. Followed by lunch (which was always something really special like oh say a meatball sandwich), then second lunch (perhaps a cheese and cracker plate). Then she would start with early dinner. You would think she would have packed the pounds on with the daily calorie intake she sustained, but nooooooo, she stayed rail thin. Then of course there was constant stream of credit card applications, online purchases of bigger ticket items on said credit cards, that she would turn around and sell trying to get the cash. We finally had to fire her, there was just too much drama AND I was worried I might pick up her eating habits!

Over all the years, I have definitely met some great people. I miss a lot of them and some, like meatball sandwich girl, or pompous dictionary boy, I will readily admit I am thankful that they are no longer sharing office space with me. Then there are others who I miss seeing their smiling face and hearing their contagious laughter. 

 

While this job doesn't define WHO I am, it is a big part of how I spend my waking hours.  I hope that one day I will be able to make a shift which will allow my workdays to be filled with those things that I am passionate about.  For now, I will be thankful that I have a job that pays my family's bills and allows me flexibility for my family.