I have been humbled....

I forgot what it feels like to work really hard for minimum wage. But, I was reminded of how horrible it is on Friday, when my boss handed me my paycheck and said, "We really do appreciate all the work you are doing here, you are doing a great job. Thank you so much for all of your help." I should have known that was a preemptive strike. He knew the second I realized how little money I was actually making, I would probably pull a runner. Lucky for him, I have made a commitment to myself to stick with this job, up until it is time to leave Colorado. Too bad for him, that means I only have a month left. But whatever, the important thing is that I have been reminded of what its like to be a member of the lower income earning society.

And being schooled in this vicious economic cycle has also taught me about how horrific people can treat you if you are "only a deli worker". I mean, none of my customers know anything about me, except that at this second I am taking their orders and counting back their change at a deli. They figure that this little fact equates that I must be a)uneducated and therefore unable to get a better job, b) in college, because why else would I work at a deli? c) completely unworthy of pleasantries.

Its all kind of like the social experiment I would play when i was the assistant to the head of a studio. Somedays, I'd get mistaken for an intern and somedays, people knew my real job. The treatment I got depending on peoples' perceptions was so 180 degrees different. Ages ago that was my lesson on how to treat people equally, as you never know who they are. I guess, maybe the universe feels it time for me to be reminded of not only the value of the dollar but how to treat people in menial jobs.