Numbers have taken on a new significance in my life in the last 3 months. I’ve always liked numbers. It’s fun to me to make a budget and see where my money goes and how I can do better. As a carpenter, it was crucial that I get the inches and fractions exactly right, or the job would be a mess. I love playing Sudoku and making those 9 numbers fit how they are supposed to. But lately, it seems numbers rule my life.
Most of my working life, I worked for myself or was taking time off. So, paying attention to the time was not a big deal. Now I’m very aware of minutes and hours. One of my favorite book characters is Jack Reacher. One of his defining characteristics is having an accurate mental clock and never needing to look at his watch. I’m not that good, and have to check my phone or watch. But I’m always thinking about time. How much time before work starts? Have I had enough sleep? Is break time nearly over? Is it taking me too long to complete this task? How long will it take to drive to work?
I even dream about numbers. My job mostly consists of rearranging where grocery items go in a store. I have to check the item numbers on a schematic, find them on the shelf or rack, identify where they go, and place them in their new spot. The numbers have to be in perfect order. Each product has a different number of facings (rows). Most are one to three facings, but occasionally there might be many more on popular items. If I get my counts wrong, I might have to redo an entire shelf. That is highly frustrating and screws up my scheduled work. When I sleep, I even dream about counting rows on shelves. I can’t turn it off, even in my dreams.
Before I even start setting stuff on the shelves, I have to measure the distance between each shelf. Those figures must be right on, or things don’t fit. Maybe the bottle of Mrs Butterworth would be too tall for the space, if I position the shelving incorrectly (which I’ve done a couple times).
And I’m thinking about amounts of money a lot more. I still doubt that this is a long-term job for me, so I’m trying to maximize my earnings and savings. With the coronavirus going on, most of my pleasures are curtailed. I can’t go to the movies, live bands, libraries, Senior Center, out to eat, visit friends or family much, etc. I can’t even go to some parks or beaches! I might as well fill my time doing something useful. This job pays decently, according to my needs and wants. So I am saving most of my earnings for later, when I know it come in handy. It’s actually kind of fun, looking up my timecard online each day. I can approximate how much money the company owes me in wages, and in reimbursement for travel mileage and food allowance. I can also look up my banking online and see the amount increasing every two weeks. I’ll never turn into a miser, worshipping money. But it’s nice to have a safety cushion and be able to buy a needed item, without worrying where the money is going to come from. I’ve been living too close to the edge for the last few years and I don’t want to grow an ulcer because of being near broke most of the time.
Instead of sugar plums dancing in my head this holiday , numbers rule the roost right now. I look forward to a time when I don’t have to be so aware of the clock and my bank account balance. But until then, I guess I’ll deal with it. It would be nice, not having to count calories, too! Now it’s time for a quick Sudoku before getting ready for work.
iggyvandweller 