Interesting 'peel and I do believe you. But I also know you wouldn't have bothered explaining if you could not see why I was skeptical. I am glad you are happy, and I hope it continues, or you move on to better. Jody has a mostly set schedule. She'd like a fully set schedule but her store just won't do that. The Management is in flux and every time there is a new one who schedules for her department that person thinks they have better ideas.
What makes me mad is that Jody is an INCREDIBLY skilled career waitress. She can make many time what she does at Walmart on half the hours. Problem is she's hit her fifties and she is convinced that she can never get another good waiting job. She is bright and the hardest damn worker this side of me, and apparently you 'peel. The only asset she believes she has is hard work. She doesn't see her talents or possibilities, and I cant make her see them. I can see her situation objectively and it is only her that limits herself. There are restaurants in town she could kick ass at, who'd hire her in a heartbeat once they knew her talent and ability to stay loyal and not just move job to job. She seems to be convinced that after fifty if you don't have a professional capacity somewhere, it's off to Walmart and then the nursing home and it KILLS me. I wish I could take care of her but for reasons that are nobodies business and the ones that I have talked about it at this time I can't.
You see Jody is an unrecovered Alcoholic. She doesn't drink and isn't getting sicker and watching her life swirl down the toilet, but she is stuck in the place she arrived to when she quit drinking. Alcoholism and addiction are diseases, and the using/drinking are but symptoms. Cessation of the drink/drug, leaves a mentally and emotionally (and I feel) spiritually sick individual. It's sad, but I can't sell recovery. I couldn't pay her to do recovery. I can clearly see she needs it, but that's not the 12 step way. It's not for those who need it, it's only for those who want it. Preaching only creates resistance, and she is far to precious to me for that. I hold hope, not much, but you always hold hope for loved ones.
To give you an idea of what kind of employee this woman is, she worked on and off (mostly on) at one location in Port Townsend for over twenty years. It was under many owners, and for a long time it was a major franchise restaurant (yes corporate). Every time it'd change hands all the old employees and menus would go but Jody would remain. She is the consummate restaurant professional. But when that location got condemned for being built on an aging peer, Jody's brilliant career died forever, because only of limits she misperceives about the Job market, and her old school attitude, and inability to adapt to the times.
The worst part is she is someone who could do anything she put her mind to, but has never had any idea that she is....
and BTW Gonz, I got a kiss for ya! Wait for it....
