So I have a friend. Well, I have several, but that's not what I wanted to talk about. In any case, she recently got her first job (that I am aware of) since getting out of college. Note, I didn't say "graduate." She's working as a salad bar attendant, if I remember correctly, at a pizza shop near her. She works part time and does a good job from what I understand. About a month ago, I started back at a Barnes & Noble near me, working as a cafe server. The job is kind of like running a small restaurant, typically by oneself, so it can get very busy.

Now, I told you that story to tell you this story. Today I got home after a four day stint of 8 to 9 hour days. Not quite a full week, but it's fairly hard work and can be pretty stressful. I told my friend that I was going to call it a night because I was tired and stressed, to which she responded "But I do the same thing and I'm not tired!" I've worked at a restaurant myself before. It's busy, but it's not quite the same. I listed the (many) tasks I have to do at the cafe and asked if she had to do the same things. Note, I included dishes, cleaning tables/equipment/etc, filling orders, ringing up customers, making food, etc. This are things that, in a restaurant, are normally split among various teams of people. She responded that she did and didn't get any breaks at all.

When I politely told her that I found it hard to believe, she responded with:

"No i make salads&i have done just as much work as you,hell i bet you havent had to muck out 28 horse stalls in 120 degree heat every day for summer&then in below zero in winter"

I was about to lose it. I may not have that hard a job right now, but I have worked a physically and mentally exhausting job before. So I told her (reminded anyway) about my time as a ramp serviceman at United in Chicago:

"No, I haven't had to muck stalls. But I did work as a ramp serviceman for well over a year. That involved slinging dozens upon dozens of bags, typically 50 to 100 pounds hunched over in what amounts to a big metal can in summer heat and fucking cold Chicago winters. I've had to work outside in snowstorms so bad I couldn't see five feet in front of me. I've also had to do that job 5 days a week, a minimum of 40 hours a week with a back so thrown out that I could barely stand let alone lift anything. But I didn't have the fucking option to take a break or quit. I had to work through it because I needed the job to pay my bills. Don't pretend that you're the only one who has ever had to work hard."

That was the polite version. Her response (edited for punctuation and name substitution):

"Dont you use those f words at me [Ces],and im not pretending anything. i know you&i both have had to work our asses off at times ok"

Sometimes, I think I'm too polite. This was my (final) response:

"You are not my mother. I used those words to express how pissed off I am right now. You tried to insinuate that I don't know what hard work is and I find that downright insulting and uncalled for. I will not apologize for my choice in words. What I said was downright diplomatic compared to what I wanted to say. And you're right. We have both worked very hard in our lives. I just needed
you to see that. In any case, I'm *very* tired. I've had a long day and a long week for that matter. Thankfully, I have a few days off starting tomorrow. As such, I'm going to bed."

I know there are those out there who have worked much harder than I, and I don't mean to lessen that. For me, this little exchange really managed to ruffle my scales on a day when I was already stressed. I try not to bitch and moan about my problems, especially knowing there are others out there who are far worse off. Even so, I felt the need to vent. And I thank those of you who read this for the chance to do so.