Tag: global pandemic

Do More with Less

Byadamk February 26, 2021 0 Comments
Every night, at work, I feel rushed or squeezed or pinched in some way, like god is my older sister trying to test my resolve until I snap. Either someone calls out, a customer becomes irate over nonsense or a freezer goes down and we suddenly have to move all the product to another one downstairs. None of this changes the fact that I need to write the production list, employees are in my ear,...

The Longest Summer

Byadamk September 25, 2020 0 Comments
When friends and family ask what I’m up to on any given night or on the weekend I usually respond, “I’m just laying low.” They give empathetic replies because for the most part they are doing the same. This year has worn the hell out of everyone but especially the people that have been on the front lines of the madness the whole time. The news cycle, the virus, the Lindas and Daves --...

When Everyone Is Jumping Ship

Byadamk September 9, 2020 1 Comment
I am barely into the fourth week of my new position at the grocery cathedral and people are jumping ship. In a production meeting our manager informed us that almost everyone in a leadership position of the department is leaving or attempting to leave the glass house that is prepared foods. Every industry is different but that’s the name of the game in the grocery world. The turnover is high...

From Inside The Grocery Cathedral

Byadamk September 1, 2020 2 Comments
I am two weeks into a different phase of my life on the grocery line. I moved into an inventory and receiving position for our prepared foods department. It’s a nice change of pace and I have more time to work on my book among other things. And now that I’ve had a chance to work behind the scenes, I am beginning to see the store in a more revealing and complete light. And I know now that it...

Love in the Time of COVID

Byadamk July 22, 2020 1 Comment
How does one find love during a time when human contact can be deadly? That question is extremely dramatic, I know, but the enduring and ostentatious nature of its framing doesn’t negate from the fact that it is true. We should always be cautious about the activities we participate in. The pandemic is no exception. I am not actively trying to get me or others sick. But there comes a time in a...

Reflections – Finding Loved Ones In The Grocery Aisle

Byadamk July 12, 2020 3 Comments
One of my first significant memories after coming online and engaging in the world around me happened in a grocery store. I was finally of the age where I could walk through the store on my own, diligently following my parents, of course. And as I trailed behind my Mom and Dad, I would grab items at random and stare intently as I absorbed the newness of experience. During these days, old women...

The Mask He Refused To Wear

Byadamk July 2, 2020 3 Comments
Our freedoms feel significantly infringed upon as the pandemic expands in breadth and scope, and it makes you wonder about the validity of safety and freedom in theory and practice. It’s hard to know what to believe because people in high places tell half-truths. So, we trust our guts and the virus spreads. But it was going to spread either way, right? Right?!? Institutions fail in spectacular...

Rekindling Humanity During The Pandemic

Byadamk June 22, 2020 1 Comment
Over the last two weeks, my city has initiated the long process of re-opening. And along with business doors accepting grateful customers, goods and services being exchanged and people getting back to work in this brave new world, I see the spark of humanity and the smoke to follow starting up all around. With the renewal of services like haircuts and sit-down dinners with friends, we have more...

The Mundane Apocalypse

Byadamk May 21, 2020 3 Comments
Linda is back after being trapped with her family in a stunning estate for three weeks. Her cart is full of a few hundred dollars’ worth of organic and local groceries that she picked out all by herself now that she has adjusted to life without Consuela. She fidgets with her mask as she watches me wipe down the belts and sanitize the credit card keypad. She’s annoyed. I’m OK with that...

The Global Schism

Byadamk April 30, 2020 3 Comments
When I wake up in the morning, I think about the virus. Once at work, the signs of COVID-19 and its effects are all around me. If I glance at my phone on break or lunch, I am reminded of a bleak modern reality. Even after work, I feel no escape when I join a video “meet up” for happy hour with friends, because we would be hanging out in person if it wasn’t for the asshole in the room. The...