A Blog About Nothing #1

I stumbled across the A Writer’s Deli blog and a post rambling about nothing. It sounded like a random stream of consciousness. I found it intriguing. The experience made me feel like I tuned into an episode of the old Jerry Seinfeld show. By the end of the rant, the post ended up being about something. So, I thought I might try my hand at writing a blog about nothing just for fun. I called it A blog About Nothing #1, so if I decided to write a second blog about nothing, I’d have a category in place.

 A Blog About Nothing #1 beginning

Have you noticed all the help-wanted signs outside of businesses since the reopening? I hear people talking about why they can’t understand why folks aren’t rushing back to work. I can’t understand why it is so hard to figure out why we have the current labor shortage. It doesn’t take an ergonomics expert to figure out the reason employees are hiding out at home.

First point in a A Blog About Nothing #1

Firstly- the government is paying a lot of money in unemployment insurance to people considered unnecessary workers who lost their jobs due to COVID. I hear those fat checks are out there, but one never made its way to me when I was furloughed. I want to meet one of these lucky lottery winners. My daughter is also one of the workers who has been bounced around like a ping pong ball. She has yet to receive her first unemployment check because they believe she is faking her identity. The entire unemployment system is so confusing that they should give a master’s degree to anyone who can figure it out.

Second point in A Blog About Nothing #1

Secondly- the jobs they are asked to go back to suck and don’t pay a living wage. You know what I mean if you’ve ever waited tables, worked a low-level clerical position, or run a machine in a factory. On top of having a job that sucks, the employee must deal with a manager. Most of these managers should never be put in charge of people. They are incompetent, know little about the job they are supposed to supervise and are hungry for power. If they are given a problem to fix, they steal the idea from the worker and get the promotion or pay raise while making the employee feel incompetent. Nobody wants to return to a place where they feel like they are being used as a tool.

Third point in A Blog About Nothing #1

Thirdly- These folks were given the title of nonessential during the pandemic. If they were like me, they were essential and nonessential at the same time. This bouncing back and forth made for a confusing experience, so I retired. The pandemic created a whole new class system for the American workers.

The first-class of worker fits into the work from home category. They do most of their job from the safety of home, taking zoom calls in their pajamas. Many of them will never return to the office. The next group is the essential workers. They are on the front lines taking all the risks for little pay. They are glad the work from home people are stuck at home. It makes their job much simpler when they aren’t in the way. The last class is the nonessential worker. These are the folks who have disappeared from the workforce. They no longer have any loyalty to their former employer. They are wandering around free range looking for a better deal. It won’t be easy to put these folks back in the cage again now that they have gained their freedom. Many of these folks simply decided to retire.  

last point in A Blog About Nothing #1

Lastly- Employees don’t want to go back to jobs that will expose them to the virus. If it’s safe to come back to jobs with constant contact with people, why aren’t the work-at-home people back on the job? I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to die for minimum wage.

Conclusion of A Blog About Nothing #1

Thus ends my rant. It turned into rambling thoughts about the American worker. I don’t think we will ever get back the innocence COVID stole from us. I’m so happy I retired from a job I hated. There is freedom in staying home. I now have the time to write rambling blogs about nothing. There is liberty in not living life by the clock. As predicted, I feel better now that I’ve got all of my bent-up anxiety off my chest. I want to thank A Writer’s Deli for the inspiration. I guess I failed at writing a blog about nothing because it turned into something.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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