I was thinking I would take the time to
share about my plight on the job front. If you’ve been following my updates,
you know I was interviewing for jobs and my mention of some tough things that
have happened…I heard from two of the three interviews from last week…one
to go, nothing so far…
Just one Piece will do:
I had a job. No let me start here…I moved
from North Carolina …due to things out of my control. I moved for all the right
reasons. I left a good job, college, and a place I called home. I’ve been here
for two years, unhappy for two years. Someday I will share my journey…I have a
long story and it should be told in pieces…so here goes.
I had a job, a good job. A job that made me
feel like my move from North Carolina was not in vain. I have a
disability…called MCS = Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. What this means…I am
sensitive to all things that have smells, except food. I get sick. I can’t be
around perfumes, lotions, soaps, sprays, chemicals…and so forth. I get lots of
questions about what it is like to have this…I didn’t always have this. I
developed this in my twenties...and year after year I learned to adapt. Such
as…I don’t go to movies, unless they are early shows. I don’t go to concerts,
plays, or anything else that involves lots of people in an enclosed area. I use
EVERYTHING unscented. If I meet with friends, I ask them to refrain from using
scented products…I could go on and on…but I think you get the gist of it…When I
started my job I let my employer know about my disability…offering medical
documentation to help understand. There were ladies in the office who wore
strong perfume and I asked for help…long story short…Under the laws of the
ADA=Americans Disability Act…I was protected and they passed a statement that
said the office had to be free of such chemicals. I know many have and will
argue they have a right to wear what they want, except the laws say, no you
don’t. Some feel they have their rights taken away…and I say, what about my
right to be healthy? If I was in a wheelchair, should I be denied a ramp just
so others don’t have to be inconvenienced to walk around it? Since my
disability is invisible, some have a hard time believing there is even
something wrong. Many of us who struggle with MCS, go through such things.
There is little education about MCS and the people who suffer. It is painful.
More and more there is talk about MCS and many places are going “scent-free”
There is hope.
After the office approved the scent-free
policy, they decided to lay carpet. CARPET! As soon as I learned of this, I
went back out for help; worried…I knew what it would do to me and feared for my
job. In the beginning they accommodated me, only when I took the time to learn
the laws and knew I had rights to be accommodated until I could return to my
office where the carpet was laid…again, long story short…no
accommodations…equals me with no job. I lost my job due to my employer not
willing to accommodate me, even after I was given an accommodation for 6 months
and able to perform all details of my job. You should know I was less than a
minute walk from where I use to sit and work.
It’s been over 8 weeks since my employer
sent me out on an unpaid leave. There are no words to describe how this feels.
This is the first time in over 15 years I’ve been without work…I’m applying for
jobs, even considering relocating. I’m limited where I can work due to the MCS.
And with all that has happened, I am no longer able to pay my financial
obligations. The Hubs paid his side of things with our budget of both incomes
and now only working with one income…speechless.
I am angry, scared, sad, and fight every day
to get up and remind myself how truly blessed I am…I will share this…God is
good. He has a plan. When I was going through this difficult time on my
job, before they released me, I would sit at my desk…ask myself, “What am I
doing?” “How long will I sit here?”
I work in higher education…for a large university.
I’ve done Administrative work for over 10 years…it’s not my passion. I’m good
at it, but I know in my heart that this is not what God has or had in store for
me. I believe things happen for a reason. I want to write; hence this time away
from work allows me the time to blog. To be connected and inspired by others. I
want to be a photographer…and now considering going back to school, only after I get
the kids “squared” away.
You see…even though I stand to lose
everything, my journey will take me in a new direction. Even though
two of the three job interviews didn’t work out…maybe God is saying I shouldn’t
sit at a desk anymore. I’ve been unhappy for as long as I can remember, feeling
like I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do…whatever that is…All in God’s hands.
Right now I am trying not to feel defeated,
trying to find the good in a “tough” situation. I hope you read this far…Don’t
feel sorry for me...this is just a “piece” of my journey…I think Sundays will
be a day I share some personal details about my life…Life is Good.
Be Good to You.
Smooches,
Lola
