My body aches from work in the school cafeteria kitchen. I made barrel of ranch dressing. Hoisting the big drum that I whisked the dressing in along with gallons of milk and mayonnaise. I have done such physical labor since I worked as a bartender slash waitress. It feels good to walk into the coolers and freezers after a hot flash or after lifting cases of juice and water into the shelves for the cashiers to sell to the droves ofteensstanding impatiently in clusters that weave into crooked lines. They mindlessly make selections with out eye contact or thankyous. The ones that do always stop me momentarily in my tracks and it takes a few seconds to register that they are talking to me. I'm grateful for the freedom to not wear a hair net.teaachers I worked with for over a decade pass by with out waving.imuncertainif some recognize me. Some do and look away as if embarrassed for the woeman who is twenty pounds heavier and and thirty percent more grey. My roots near my part and along my hairline speaks to my age as well as my lack of motivation to color them them away three weeks earlier? Im glad to not have to be in anyone's proximity for more then a few minutes at a time as I dart around the kitchen loading and unloading industrial size pans from the stainless steel dishwasher that's caked with hard water stains that scream to be descaled. The invisable world of the kitchen staff who weave in and out corner with sharp edges of meatel carts waiting to gouge your hips and thighs is a mini ballet production between the hours of five a.m. And two in the afternoon. At break time people mindlessly browse through e-mails and text their family or acquaintances. They eat their varied foods that are ontheir list from weight watchers or Dr. Prescribed prepared foods that contain no carbs, gluten or fats. I eat a nutribar and sip water or green juiceembarrassed to eat the slice of left over pizza or cookies from the ala cart line we are allowed toeat from for free. It's our labor meal. Part of my pay even as a sub. Being a sub is good in the sense that my accountability is less for remembering all the tasks I'm to complete from my list. It pays two dollars more than minimum wage. It's a step down in pay and prestige. Im not sure how long I'll stay. My Bodley is somewhat acclimated to the physical demands but it has days of more aches and pains then others.at fifty two,I feel the lifetime of work and get tired when I think about the number of jobs I have worked. I started work when I was twelve and have had little down time.th

There have been times of work search that spanned a few months.there have been babies and the six week leaves that followed. The last year of unemployment was a first.