A Paid-Forward Breakfast

Monday, December 21nd 2020

"I forgot to put it in the calendar but I am off from today until January 4th. When you are in office, you need to make sure you do all the callbacks." It felt like just another day until I came by this short email from a cohort that followed a short conversation thread we had earlier where I asked for her second opinion on something I came across.

I felt left in a lurch. In my job, I primarily focused on applications and messages pertaining to the nurse aide registry. My office receives them at any time, but reviews them during business hours and work days. So, an average fifty to sixty applications in one queue alone (I normally deal with two kinds of applications) might be waiting for me after a typical weekend. My absent cohort handled most of everything else within the realm of our department. I might add that this cohort is actually my immediate supervisor, so by some nature actually dealt with "most of everything else". Whereas I was just a subordinate office assistant at this job for over a year now. While I've had at least brief experience with some parts of "everything else", possibly around the time I was learning the ropes, some things on my plate for the week I was not confident about doing if I had any understanding of doing it at all, dare I admit. (Again, chalk it up either to inexperience or just not in my personal realm of things to do on a regular day.)

At least for any callbacks, I didn't have any to start the day, but I swear my own work phone hadn't rang so much since before the pandemic! I'll admit I worried about a lot of the calls. If a call dealt with things out of my league, I'd just transfer it to my cohort. Of course, I didn't have that luxury today. If it wasn't rude to ignore the calls, I would've called them right back depending on what they were calling about. I couldn't ignore the calls in-office though and felt unable to help some callers after they explained what they were needing. I hated that feeling.

On top of all that, I needed to learn how to even transfer calls on the new phone system that was installed over the weekend.

In a more ideal world, my supervisor might have left me some tips, instructions, answers, or some kind of guidance to assist me where I had more gray matter or where only she had the most expertise. Did my supervisor's regular correspondences even know before this week she'd be unavailable? I should admit though, the ideal was reality in its own way: another one of my cohorts recently transferred to another department under our office, but was happy to help me with some of the things I couldn't do or needed clarified.

Tuesday, December 22nd 2020

I burnt some midnight oil from home the night before, trying to catch up with what I couldn't get to during the regular day. I even went as far as warning my mom that I'd be upset with her if she called "too early". (Working from a cell phone hotspot is like internet from the nineties; a call would kick you off and way too often I'd have a time just with the internet/VPN/network whatnot staying connected at all when I worked from home. And I was having another one of those moments too...)

I hit the ground running as early as I could today to finish what didn't have to be done in office. At best, I threw ran a brush through my hair and threw on some decent clothes before I logged on to work. Since I planned/felt obliged to go in to work again, I thought I'd drive through for my biscuit from a place up the street from my office.

I arrived at the restaraunt, placed my order, and pulled up to the first window. All the while, visions of a work-related to-do list danced in my head. I threw on my mask and reached my card out the window to the cashier.

"The car in front of you paid for your order. They say 'have a Merry Christmas!' "

Wow!

Of course, I've only ever heard of the "pay it forward" thing, much less have I ever been on the receiving end of it! When I was more stressed out and preoccupied than usual over work, a complete stranger did something nice me! Countless cliches attempt to encourage habits of kindness, generosity, and the like, but I think fewer things could be more inspirational than gratefully and graciously receiving it! I'll never forget the experience and sensation and will pay it forward myself when I get the chance!