The money is pretty good. Not as much as I originally anticipated, but it's better than me bringing $0 in. Of course, losing 40 customers all in one shot because they're not paying didn't help with the amount I expected and the amount I got. The newspaper collects the money for the carriers now, so my direct customer relations are pretty minimal.
I really like that I don't have to deal with many people. I always kind of thought I was a "people person" but I like doing my job alone. I'm really my own boss so as long as the papers are delivered and I'm not doing anything stupid, the Record doesn't care what I do while I'm delivering. My paper route is also my "alone time" away from the kiddos and I can listen to my radio and not have any running commentary from the 4.5-y-o and 21-m-o peanut gallery. I had to take the boys with me a few weeks ago when Loren went out of town and it was horrible- they stayed awake most of the time we were out and wouldn't be quiet.
The physical demands are actually a little more challenging too. I currently have to roll 225+ papers every night and then also throw them to the customers' driveways or put them in their tubes. My arms get tired after rolling every night, and my butt and back get sore from sitting in my car seat for 3.5+ hours. I try to leave my house around 1:00am and have the papers delivered before 5:15am, so I usually get to sleep around 5:45. Lately I've been sleeping until noon. But I know I'm not getting enough sleep, and definitely not enough *quality* sleep. My body has adjusted to the "time change" (on Mondays, when I don't have to deliver, I stay awake until about 4:30am) but I still feel like I'm in a bit of a fog when I wake up.
I try really hard to get up around 11 because it's not fair for the boys for me to sleep late, but it's hard to wake up. LL is pretty good about staying out of trouble in the morning- he'll watch tv most of the morning and can get his own breakfast most days. Justin is still in his crib and has actually been sleeping in too, so I haven't really worried about him much. I want to be able to go out and do fun things with my kids, but by the time I wake up and get everyone fed and dressed, half the day is gone and most of the things (ie. story time at the library, free movies at the theater) are already done for the day.
My car is taking the new "workout" pretty rough. Loren had to replace my brake pads and rotors on Sunday to the tune of $150- money that we didn't exactly have (well, sorta, since I DID get paid on Friday). Tuesday morning, I got a flat tire and thankfully enough, I was close enough to Job Corps that he met me there (thanks to Tara for going to the house to watch the boys) with no damage to the wheel. And he's my hero for fixing the tire in no time flat (no pun intended)- not even needing to just use a spare. Now I'm getting less than 10 miles to the gallon on gas, and my oil looks low.
Overall, I like my job, and I'm grateful for the job. I keep telling myself that I need to stick it out for at least a year. I don't think I've ever had a job that long, except for the vets and that doesn't count because most of that was volunteering. I plan on going back to school in the spring, but hopefully I can do school and work and keep up with the boys. And I also still plan on bringing Kiowa down here too. I'm getting tired just thinking about it!
Work isn't to make money; you work to justify life. ~Marc Chagall
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