For over 20 years, I’ve been working in the food service industry. I’ve changed jobs a bit, moving from cashiering to bakery, to the deli – but in general I have been working in grocery stores for most of my adult life.

That is why I recommend that if you are considering working at a grocery store for the rest of your life, don’t. Every day I came home late, too tired to do anything. I slept in, had about 2 hours to make lunch, and it was off to work again, working 12-8:30 not including the extra hour of travel time by bus.

My shoulder muscles feel as though they were cut in half and stretched out to cover the same distance. My back feels as though several giant men in abnormally high heels are jumping simultaneously on my spine.

So soon I will be leaving my job. It is too late for me to go a university – universities are made for kids. Instead, I’ll be attending a career college that specializes in massage therapy. They have smaller classes, many of the students are around my age, and they will help me find a job immediately after I graduate in the field in which I studied.

I have a feeling that my back is beyond repair. But with any luck, I can help fix the backs of others that were in my position – except in this case it will be when I want to work, not when I’m “scheduled.”

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