In the substance abuse world, one of the questions we ask to determine addiction is, "Has your use negatively impacted other areas of your life?"
Diet Coke once got me fired from a job.
Like my first job at Byerly's, I was recognized right away as a strong worker, well-liked by my hiring manager, and given increasing levels of responsibility relatively quickly.
Like my fired job at Perkins, I was an emotionally-charged teenager, I started dating a 20-something coworker, and I enjoyed the social aspects of the job more than the customer service.
Writing my firing stories back to back and made it apparent how much the rest of my life can influence my mental health. The firing that triggered a dark depression happened to a self-conscious awkward me who had no purpose outside of myself.
This firing happened to a physically fit, generally happy person who had created goals and dreams bigger than this one job or this one season of my life. And yet, it's easy to forget that and slip back down to only seeing 10 feet in front and fog all around you.
Here's to living in the sun and keeping it that way so that when the bad comes - the firing, breakup, the election loss - there's some elasticity to bounce and keep going.
Diet Coke once got me fired from a job.
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I started working at Barnes and Noble Cafe soon after waitressing. I had experience taking down orders, so making a venti triple skinny soy macchiatto in a low-key book store basement cafe was easy.
Like my first job at Byerly's, I was recognized right away as a strong worker, well-liked by my hiring manager, and given increasing levels of responsibility relatively quickly.Like my fired job at Perkins, I was an emotionally-charged teenager, I started dating a 20-something coworker, and I enjoyed the social aspects of the job more than the customer service.
I was confident and self-assured since I had recently returned from living in a foreign country and enlisting in the military. I was in phenomenal shape because of aforementioned things, and far enough removed from the depression of the last firing that nothing could get me down.
The boss who had hired me, a stereotype of the middle aged middle management overweight bald white guy with a single syllable first name like Ted or Jim or something, was fine, and often left us cafe folk alone as long as we were getting the work done. The new boss, a confidently graying heavyset woman who actually checked in on our cafe and demanded work from us, and who hadn't yet learned how great I thought I was, accused me of theft.
I was genuinely shocked. I had never EVER taken a book from that store. I didn't even read the new releases on my break and put them back on the shelf like some of the other baristas did. There was no way I was a thief, clearly this was a mistake.
I was genuinely shocked. I had never EVER taken a book from that store. I didn't even read the new releases on my break and put them back on the shelf like some of the other baristas did. There was no way I was a thief, clearly this was a mistake.
"How many Diet Cokes would you say you have on shift in a day?"
Oh, I get it, this had to be a joke. I was a known Diet Coke addict, but in a quirky, adorkable kind of way. I'd come in and tell my friends my ridiculous number already consumed before 4pm (usually a 20oz bottle between every class and a large McDonald's fountain version on the way to work) and we'd guess how many more ounces I would go through in a 3-5 hour shift with arms-length access to a fountain soda machine. I was 0% prepared when I laughed and told her exactly all of that.
Oh, I get it, this had to be a joke. I was a known Diet Coke addict, but in a quirky, adorkable kind of way. I'd come in and tell my friends my ridiculous number already consumed before 4pm (usually a 20oz bottle between every class and a large McDonald's fountain version on the way to work) and we'd guess how many more ounces I would go through in a 3-5 hour shift with arms-length access to a fountain soda machine. I was 0% prepared when I laughed and told her exactly all of that.
"And how much free product are baristas allowed behind the counter?"
"OK...but...pop doesn't count, it's, like, 10 cents at cost, I've done the syrup orders a ton of times, it's like nothing, at my other job, we always get free pop on shift."
"The correct answer is you are allowed a 20% discount on food, we have never said it doesn't count, we have never charged employee food at cost, and this isn't your other job. You have stolen hundreds, if not over a thousand dollars of consumables just in the time I have been here, and that's absolutely unacceptable. Sign here, and we'll agree to keep your last paycheck to repay the debt and not press charges against you. You will be escorted out and you are banned from the premises." I still get a pit in my stomach walking in to ANY Barnes and Noble, thinking they'll escort me out at any minute. I slinked away, and told the other coworker on shift what happened to ensure that the story of my firing would spread like wildfire to the rest of the store.
I was still sad about it and hid out at the booksellers apartment until I felt better. Two cafe coworkers - my sister and my best friend - quit over the whole injustice. The friends who remained said I was a scapegoat, and the new boss used my firing for months later as an example of why it's not ok to take free food. I had been fired again, but in a different state of mind, it was just mildly obnoxious, not soul-crushingly devastating.
I was still sad about it and hid out at the booksellers apartment until I felt better. Two cafe coworkers - my sister and my best friend - quit over the whole injustice. The friends who remained said I was a scapegoat, and the new boss used my firing for months later as an example of why it's not ok to take free food. I had been fired again, but in a different state of mind, it was just mildly obnoxious, not soul-crushingly devastating.
--
Writing my firing stories back to back and made it apparent how much the rest of my life can influence my mental health. The firing that triggered a dark depression happened to a self-conscious awkward me who had no purpose outside of myself.
This firing happened to a physically fit, generally happy person who had created goals and dreams bigger than this one job or this one season of my life. And yet, it's easy to forget that and slip back down to only seeing 10 feet in front and fog all around you.
Here's to living in the sun and keeping it that way so that when the bad comes - the firing, breakup, the election loss - there's some elasticity to bounce and keep going.
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