The Everyday Grind of the Quality Crown

Denise had been working since she was sixteen. Working for $5.25 and hour was minimum wage then. Just having a couple wrinkled twenties folded into her hand felt like she has thousands of dollars. Working at a fast food restaurant for her first experience of a job was the norm. Working in the food department you would smell of fryer oil that clung to her hair, have a uniform with grease stains, and a new understanding of the word stress. But the bills in her pocket would add up and that money meant choices, and choices meant freedom.

Working with her friends made the job experience more comfortable. She would try to manage the hours on the clock. All while trying to manage school at the same time. This would be her new normal routine for her last two years of highschool. While working one develops a sense of structure and obedience. She never called off, never left a job unfinished. She would always go in when someone would call off.

Now, eighteen she had worked her way up the ladder. Going from a general worker, to shift leader, and finally Supervisor. Her name carried weight in a building that smelled of burgers and french fries,. Her coworkers looked at her with a kind of respect and always looked forward to working with her. When someone fumbled, she fixed it. When production lagged, she stayed late. She became the, "the backbone of this place.”

It was steady course for a few years before Denise decided to shift gears. See her older sister was a Quality Manager at a Wheel Factory. Her sister Kathy had a called upon her to come work with her. Denise decided to give it a shot. Change is scary, starting something new is frightening, and the unknowing is unpredictable. That should never stop someone from continuing on in their work journey. You have to take that step to further your knowledge and better your circumstances. Having an adult type job does come with it's benefits.

Starting her new career she was once again just another entry-level worker, a number on the schedule, a name on the badge. The work was repetitive, the kind that made others quit before their first month ended. But she stayed. She watched. She learned.

She learned how a gauge told stories no eye could catch. She memorized the sound of the machines, the way they would hum. Her job was to inspect and use her problem solving skills when a part was out of tolerance. Curiosity became her trademark.

Denise excelled in her field once again becoming the go to person. Someone who had a sharp eye for detail and understood the language of the shop. She grew into the title of Lead Auditor and not stopping there she eventually reached Quality Supervisor. Everyday was a task of leading chaos into clarity. This title came along with a much greater responsibility. Not only was she the one the machinists went to for answers. She became a master mind of the shop.

The factory started out quite normal in the sense of the work schedule. Having and extra 10 hours of overtime on your check was basic. Though a few years passed and the factory stepped into their really busy era! Typical work days were long, working 10 to 12 hours, 6 to 7 days a week. Shift times would vary from 3 am to 3 pm. Some days even 7 am to 7 pm. You would find yourself training and covering other people's shifts. That includes 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

This went on for a many of years and it of course became a normal routine. One week paychecks would be 65 to 80 hrs a week. Life became work, eat, and sleep. A body on permanent autopilot, stuck in grind mode.

The day everything shifted it began like normal. It wasn't until after lunch when the atmosphere became foggy. A huge stabbing pain stopped Denise as she turned a corner. She took a minute to catch herself before trying to walk back to the office. In her mind thoughts of one word started to flash over and over, in her mind... KIDNEYS! Around 1:30 that afternoon Denise was drove to the Emergency room. The nurse's voice was calm, but her words became a tangled up mess in Denise's mind. Denise found herself trapped in a waiting room, her body sinking into the hard, plastic-coated mattress of a hospital bed. The nurse was doing routine blood work. The clock ticked louder then normal and time was pretty much all she had. The nurse returned around 8pm that evening letting Denise know she was going to be staying at the hospital.

Denise's body was under too much stress. She was heading toward something serious , maybe irreversible.”

The first night in the hospital Denise was flooded with tears that came hot and uninvited. Her body would shake violently with uncontrollable shivering. The shivering spells would happen every 35 to 45 minutes through the whole night.

Denise's health didn’t improve overnight. Denise found herself sick with a blood infection. After a week stay in the hospital and treatment from antibiotics Denise was able to go home.

When at home something in her shifted. She realized, the endless overtime was causing work burnout. Even though she proudly wore her Quality crown, it's a fact that everything tarnishes. She had worn it until it broke her. But in setting it down, she found something far more enduring.

She was still afraid, still uncertain, and still sick. But for the first time in years, she was also alive in the ways that mattered.

Alive in the quiet strength of her own choices. No longer a prisoner to the time clock. Denise realized she didn't need to overload herself with excessive labor.

Once a girl with a brainwashed thought process, conforming to the everyday grind. Now a girl that discovered the sanctuary of how important her health and life really was.