Words of Wisdom from SharLeigh

ENTERING THE WORK FORCE

Do you remember your first job? Maybe it was very different from your current career, but at the time it was the most important job. Your first job taught you the responsibility of how to save money and balance time between work, school and leisure (hopefully). It gave you a sense of accomplishment when you received your paycheck – for the first time you had money of your own and a true feeling of independence! Back when I entered the work force, times were different; some call it a more innocent time, and looking back, it was. No one had much money and you had to save for the things you wanted – instant gratification was an unknown phrase. Your first boss probably seemed 10 feet tall, but he or she taught you the ropes and every once in awhile gave you a pearl of wisdom. At the time you may not have known it, but that knowledge gave you the building blocks for life. Work was never easy but the learning was priceless! My first job was at Upson Elementary School in Euclid, Ohio. Miss Hannah was the head librarian at the public library that was located inside of the school. She totally fit the career description in the mid-1950s; she was an older, single lady with a salt-and-pepper braid wrapped around her head. I was nine years old and she hired me because I was tall for my age (5’-7"), which gave me the ability to reach the high shelves. The year was 1956 and the wage was $0.25 per hour. For a nine-year-old that was a gold mine! Actually, it was a gold mine. Miss Hannah enriched my life; she opened the world of literature and imagination to me. One of my favorite jobs was to “read” the shelves, which meant to make sure the fiction books were in alphabetical order and the non-fiction books were in numerical order. Each time I would read the shelves I would look at the titles and the authors and wonder about the stories they told. In time, I read most of those books. I have Miss Hannah to thank for peaking my imagination, my inquisitiveness and my love of the written word. Work is never easy, but there are some jobs that remain with us and some people that have shaped our lives. Those jobs and people are the beacons that light the way for us on this path called life!