For those of you know me IRL, you are likely fully aware of what a Work Event means in my world.
For those of you who don't, here's the deal:
I work for a fabric store/sewing machine dealership. My regular job involves everything a retail sales employee is responsible for, plus education (which means specific classes, but also constantly providing information to customers about sewing projects), troubleshooting machine problems, and sharing my own creativity through demos and displays.
This is already... A Lot to deal with for someone who makes less than $25K a year.
But approximately monthly, we also host An Event.
An Event means we have brought in a special Sew-lebrity Guest, and sold $99 tickets to 50-120 customers to attend. The customers get to learn from the Guest and make 3-5 embroidery Projects. We provide the machines, assistance, materials, meals, and snacks.
And it's exhausting for those of us who work them.
Our Event Room has a floor that is concrete. So I'm standing on a concrete floor from 7:30am to about 4:30-5pm. When people need help, I'm bending over a table to assist.
At least we don't have to haul 50 pound machines around anymore.
I'm sick this weekend. It's not COVID, not Flu A or B. I tested to be sure. It started with a sore throat and now the Mucus Faucet is going like gangbusters.
So I'm miserable, short on sleep, and drugged up. My customers keep trying to cheer me up. I keep having to explain that I'm not feeling well.
Why didn't I give my boss the finger and blow this off? Because I'm the only one who knows the right procedures for documentation on the $2000 software packages we are trying to sell.
(I'm also the only one who teaches this software.)
I got home yesterday, hoping my partner had some kind of dinner plan managed. Nope. His plan was to get stinky fast food on the way to his game last night.
"You know I'm sick, right? You knew it was an event, right?"
And then he picked a fight about money.
I made Mac n cheese and went to bed.
Tonight I'll pick up something on the way home, eat it and go to bed.
Swimming tomorrow, if I'm not dead.