I think I learned system the company had, except one called Wang. That eluded me. Luckily, not many people were using it.
As I am trying to turn over a new leaf by spending less on unnecessary things, I am writing this on Google.docs. Friends suggested this when I mentioned I was behind in my monthly payment for Word. I will see how this works.
A long time ago I prided myself on learning new word processing software quickly and being able to teach others how to use it. I remember using WordStar. If you remember that, you are likely as old as me. I think the next was WordPerfect.
I was so proficient with WordPerfect I landed a consultant job teaching staff at a major firm how to use it. This also involved conversion from many other types of software and systems. Everything was on the 5 ½” floppy disks. Again, that dates me.
I tried not to let my computer prowess go to my head. Even when that company hired me as a full-time employee. It was not a dream job, but it was a job that paid me better than any other I ever had.
The problem was that I’d been pretty much self-employed for so long, I was not suited for the office atmosphere. Maybe that is why I’ve stayed away from sitcoms with similar settings. I found nothing comedic about the job.
Okay, to be honest, there was some humor. And as I got to know my fellow clerical staff there was an inner camaraderie. That was where the problem started and ended. I was called into the manager’s office and told I should not mingle as much with fellow employees. It was supposed to increase disharmony among the group. Oh, there was disharmony, but I was not the reason. Trust me, it had started long before. I was the newcomer to the group.
I realized the problem really was that I stopped being a puppet for management and started cutting my strings. I was happier making friends that being an elusive entity who was shied away from by other employees.
I remember tears filling my eyes because I knew this was not how I wanted to live. I got up from that meeting, gathered my things and went home for lunch. I did not return again. They called and I told them I would not be back. That was that.
I may have cut off my nose to spite my face, as the cliche goes, but I remained true to me. I lost a job and the new friends I was making. Funny, those friendships were part of the reason I walked out in the first place.
The silver lining was that when I returned home I was faced with a do or die situation. I started to write and write and write some more. It didn’t take long before I was being published in several magazines. I also started working as a “stringer,” with local newspapers. I may not have made as much money as I did in the office, but I wasn’t selling my soul to earn it.
I know I started this saying I was testing my trial of Google.docs. I believe I may be making another transition in life. My hope is that it will be as positive as my transition from full-time office life to full time writing life. I need that now even more than I did back then. Maybe today I walk out on wishing I were writing more to actually writing more. Wish me luck.
