Back to the daily grind...

Yesterday was my first day back at work (I'm a shift supervisor/barista at Starbucks). And it may seem strange, but it is one of the hardest jobs I've every had: you are always doing on-the-spot problem solving, on your feet and constantly moving (kind of difficult with a 5lb weight restriction), managing partners with varying personalities, and last but not least, hand-crafting yummy SBux beverages for those on the go, go, go...!

I woke up in the morning a little bit nervous, but I felt good... Took my vitamins, made a protein shake, and started my twenty minute drive in for a shift starting at 7am. At Starbucks our 'peak' time of business is anywhere from 6-9am, so business was steady when I got on the floor. At first I felt great, but not long after getting on the floor, I started to feel weak. Looking at the clock, I thought that I had been there for 2 hours, but it had only been an hour.

The people I work with are amazing... I am more thankful for them now, moreso, than I ever have been! The partners are so helpful and supportive, which is a god-send, and they were able to get me off the floor for five minutes to catch my breath and drink some water. My hands were shakey, and I started to feel faint, but it passed with some rest. I was crying because I'm so frustrated that my body isn't cooperating with me, and I felt so overwhelmed.

Back working, I started to feel faint within 15 minutes. This time, the 'tunnel vision' set in, and I couldn't concentrate when ringing up customers... It felt like they were millions of miles away from me, yet just a foot from me. Again, a break. This cycle was repeated several times.

I felt so bad, because it was our peak time of business and it is difficult to be down a person. It is felt by the customers and partners when a store is down a person. Especially with businesses streamlining, like other companies experience too, each employee is expected to do more with less resources, AKA, people. But I had too, my body was screaming: You have to slow down!!!

Out of my 8 hour shift, I wasn't even able to last 3 hours.

Uhhhg.

I decided that todays shift needed to be cut too, that working 8 hours and during peak would be too much so came late and worked 4 hours. Today I lasted nearly the full 4 hours, but that was, in part, because I decided to 'jump the shark' and eat a small bit of pureed foods to give me energy... I will explain more in my next post.