Working on holidays is one of those things you don’t really understand until you have done it yourself, before I had kids, before life started revolving around school runs, cooking, and trying to stretch money, I was just a young girl hustling hard and trying to survive, at that time, holidays did not mean rest or celebration for me, holidays meant work, same as every other day.
I worked with Sweet Sensation, a company a lot of people already know for their food and cakes, I was in the cake section, and if you know anything about food businesses, especially the ones that deal with cakes and celebrations, you will understand that holidays are actually their busiest periods, While people were planning parties, birthdays, and family hangouts, we were preparing orders nonstop, Christmas, New Year, public holidays, all those days were peak periods for us.
That job required us to work every single day of the week, with just one day off, and even that one day off sometimes felt like it came and went too fast, there was no it is a holiday, let's close early, Nope, If anything, we worked longer hours because demand was higher, People wanted cakes for Christmas, cakes for visitors, cakes for celebrations, and all of that fell on us.
At that time, I didn’t complain too much,Not because it was easy, but because I needed the job, I was hustling for my life, trying to make ends meet and build something for myself, I didn’t have kids to rush home to, no big responsibilities waiting for me, so I just put my head down and did what I had to do, sometimes I would see people posting pictures online, chilling with family, eating good food, and laughing, while I was standing on my feet for hours icing cakes, It used to pinch me soemhow, but I reminded myself that this was my own season.
Looking back now, I respect people who work during holidays even more, nurses, security guards, food vendors, cleaners, drivers , so many people don’t get the luxury of resting just because it is a public holiday, somebody has to keep things running while others relax, at that time, I was one of those people, and it taught me patience and endurance.
Now that I have kids, my perspective has changed, Holidays mean something else to me now, they mean rest, family time, and slowing down, but I will never forget that phase of my life when holidays were just another workday, It reminds me that everyone’s journey is different, and sometimes, while others are celebrating, you are building your own future quietly.
That experience shaped me in ways I didn’t understand back then, and honestly, I am grateful for it.
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