"Untitled"

BY JALYNN GRAYBILL

With the new taste of money in her grasp, she can't help but think of anything else. But the work feels harder and the days grow longer, so she decides to leave what she's always known. She is slowly taking steps to find what she is made for, all while realizing passion outweighs a paycheck.

It's exactly twenty-three minutes after the school bell rang. My change of clothes is crumpled in my backseat from yesterday. I'm consistently going fifteen over the limit on the backroads just to make it on time. I open the backdoor to the restaurant I’ve spent most of my nights at for almost two years: Wendy’s. I look and see my abrasive manager that I am harassed by daily. Barely making enough to fill my tank and to have extra for hangouts with friends. I needed a change; I needed to find my passion.

The daily routine soon turned from handing out frosties to deep dishes. Delivery pizza was my new up and up. No more abrasive managers because now I am the abrasive manager. Domino’s finally gave me more than just cash for my tank, and work is a little more entertaining. I made the rules, but when who's expected to follow them all end up being your friends, turns out it's quite difficult to reprimand them and keep the same relationship. Still I lacked passion. Then follows Riverdale. 

I thought I was done with the service industry, but I can't give up without trying banquet-style serving. That then turned into me learning the skill of bartending. I was now making even more. Not just having enough for gas and hangouts but also to save for my future. I loved it, only to again be disappointed by management. I needed to take a break to find my passion.

I continued school and started transitioning into the next chapter of my life. Life threw me a curveball, and I now found myself relocated to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Not only working at Appalachian Running Company, but also further attending HACC. I dream of architectural design. Art is the passion, and passion is the currency. To work in a field I desire would cancel out any other need or want in any job I've ever had. So whether it’s surrounded by bald men or abrasive managers, my passion outshines all else.