I was 16 years old working at my first job ,Chick-fil-a. I was sick and scheduled work, so I called my manager and he thought I was lying! I really was sick and thought I sounded sick thank you very much and he didn’t BELIEVE me! This has single handily defined how I did and still handle those phone calls.
From last minute white water rafting trips to just having a I don’t want to work today day, my friends would plead, “Come on Kelly, just call in sick!” If I don’t sell being sick, when really sick, how would I ever get out of work just because?! Now that I’m a grown up… when I’m sick, rather than call out, I convince myself I’m fine and go to work. Only to get there, let them see that I really am sick, and leave. How grown up of me.
Tuesday night I was at a PUG meeting to hear Dane Sanders speak. We walked into The Atlanta Wedding Loft and the great thing was, I recognized other photographer faces. The really great thing was, they knew me too! As we mingled with each other at the end of the night, I talked with Dane briefly about his book, The Fast Track Photographer. Some one mentioned Dane’s workshop that was beginning the next day and how awesome it was going to be…and before I knew it both Dane and one of my new and amazingly talented friends Katrina sent me back to those Chick-fil-a days…”Just call in sick and come to the workshop! Whens the last time you called out?” “Um, never I replied.” “Good then you can call out tomorrow and come!” ” I dunno, ” I said, concealing my phobic history of making that phone call. I told them I would make my decision that night and headed home.
I decided not to go to the workshop. For many reasons, one being that I didn’t want to call out sick. As fate would have it, I woke up Wednesday morning SICK. I was so nauseous I could hardly move. After reasoning with myself that it was not that bad and there was no way I was CALLING IN SICK, I made myself get dressed and headed to work. Only to feel WORSE. I walked into the doors, set my stuff on the desk, went straight to the manager’s office, told her I was sick, and left. Oh the irony.
So Dane and Katrina, I did call in sick. I wish it was to come to the workshop, but at least I have a good book to read!
