Ugh. It’s 6 a.m. already. Time goes by quickly when I’m sleeping and it takes a long time to get comfortable. Anyway, I have to get up and attempt to get ready for work. I have to keep track of time, because I can’t afford to slip up. I have to be gone by 7 a.m. so I can make it to the 7:33 a.m. bus. The bus stop is 1.5 miles away and a 30 minute walk. Did I mention that I was eight months pregnant and can only walk so fast? I don’t eat breakfast at home because takes too long and if I’m full, it will slow down my stride.
Okay, back to getting ready. It takes about 10 minutes to get motivated to get out of bed and tackle the day. Now that I’m up, I have to rush to the bathroom, even though I went 10 times that night. After that, I plug up the flat iron so I can attempt to do something to my hair. I get dressed at 6:30 a.m. and look at the clock. Damn! I need to put some pep in my step or I could be late and risk being sanctioned. Being sanctioned means losing all of my benefits, which includes insurance. That’s not an option so I pick up the pace. Since I’m rushing, as usual, I’ll have to stop at the gas station to grab breakfast. I hope it isn’t crowded or else I won’t be able to eat. It’s either be hungry or be late. No, I can’t miss my bus.
I’m finally out the door. I stay in an apartment building so I use the side steps closest to the street to get a head start on my walk. Having to walk this far in such a short amount of time is extremely stressful because everything is rushed and one thing depends on another. I also take this same dreaded trip in the afternoon, but it isn’t as bad because my day workday is over so the rush has settled for 12 hours.
The walk to the bus stop on Steels Corners Road can be incredibly dangerous in the morning. I really don’t really like walking on the side of the road because since it’s so early, people who are on their way to work aren’t really paying attention In addition to there being a lot of 18-wheelers that zoom past me, there are no sidewalks! Yay for safety! The bus ride to work takes an hour and a half and the bus ride home takes another hour. So, my average workday is 10 hours, if everything runs smoothly. The schedule can be overwhelming and exhausting but I don’t let it hold me down. The only thing that keeps me motivated to do it five days a week is the blessing I have growing inside of me. She’s already mommy’s little princess. Everything I do is to be able to give her the things I didn’t have as a child.
– S. Smith, Project Learn Student
