When I was 21 I went to a self based learning
program to become a pharmacy technician in the Western part of Massachusetts. I
entered the program in October of 2010. When entering the program you have to
go through a 5 week period where you learn to adjust to the rules and regulations
of the institution and enter into your trade, in my case pharmacy tech. It
pretty much was five weeks of me going through high school on acid trip without
a diploma to show for it. It was mostly common sense rules that either didn’t
apply to me or were things that someone wishing to cause a problem would do. And
that was only the tip of the iceberg. The five week wait turned into nearly 5
months. Imagine 5 months of sitting on your hands for over 89 hours a day and
that is almost more than what I did in that time. I was supposed to enter Pharmacy tech in mid November,
I didn’t enter the program until the 28th of March.
I was instead
told to work in the cafeteria and to help other trainees in helping them get
their GED’s or high school diplomas until there was space for me in the trade. I
hated this because I felt I was wasting time while others were finishing their
programs and leaving. Some of the other trainees there who I was supposed to be
helping just wanted me to do their work for them. I was frustrated that there was nothing I
could do because there was no room for me at the time in Pharmacy Tech. I was
also frustrated that I was given the okay to attend when there wasn't enough
space in the program for me. They could only send me to their branches in New England none of them had a Pharmacy Tech program. I was stuck until there was
room. I was reaching a point where I was ready to resign and go home with
nothing.
After I finally got into the program I finished it
in 5 months which was a little fast than average. Because it took so long for
me to get into the program I was able to sign up for the fall semester for
Holyoke community college which was a short drive from the institutes’ campus.
At the time I just saw it as a way to stay longer because half the reason I
came was there was to get out of my parents house for a while. Now I realize
that it helped open a door to further my education. After a few semesters in Holyoke, I transferred
to Bunker Hill community college. It made me learn that maybe that delays in what
you think is most important at the time can give another opportunity that you didn’t
know you wanted to be more reachable.
There is a silver lining
In every dark cloud
One smiling face
Can unmake a dour crowd
Running late is a pain
Especially on a busy day
A run in with an old friend
Causes that pain to stray
Dropped your ring you said?
Down the bathroom sink
The plumber got there pretty quickly
Pretty cut don’t you think?
The bright side can be hard to find
Especially with the dark surrounding glare
Like the dark “red line” windows
And only meet your own stare
Moving forward isn't a crime,
Neither is standing still
You feel the bright side won’t find you
Trust me, it will.
Samantha,
ReplyDeleteGood post. I like your story - a prime example of when something "bad" or unexpected happens, some other doors happen to appear when we get through it.
That's the way to alchemize, so even the hardest parts - working in the cafeteria, etc - can be seen now with almost a little humor, because you get to pull back now and see the big picture.
That's great!
Good story. Try to warm up your reader a little bit - with an introduction. What is your story about? Let them know that you're writing about about "blessings in disguise". You can directly address them, or write it into your story. But try to introduce the readers to the concept. Your title is excellent - a good clue. Now give them a little more intro.
As for your poem, you've got the 4 line stanza's down. Try to break through that format and see if you can write in different patterns. Give it a shot. Go nuts. See what happens when you just write - without rules.
GR: 90