Throwback Thursday!

As I previously noted, I used to have a Xanga. It was a cool thing to have in college. Well, cool for people who weren't cool enough to have a Live Journal. At any rate, I was recently skimming through the entries, and came across this little gem. I feel like it fits in well with my current employment journey, and continues to be a warning for what may come in the future. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 06, 2005

• What is it about Dairy Queen?

Dairy Queen was my first job. Fast forward six years or so and it is now my current job. We definitely have a love-hate relationship with one another. So this is how I formed my theory which I have held for awhile now, but don't like to share with people...

Dairy Queen is like the boyfriend who beats you.

You first met when you were a young naive teenager. You thought he was the coolest and wanted to be near him. You try way too hard and finally land your dream role. You are so entralled with him. You can't wait to see him and he seems so wonderful. In reality, he's a little on the ghetto side and not the brightest crayon in the box. Or the sharpest. Or the prettiest. At first he's nice to you but he then starts to walk all over you. You would do anything for him, ditch your social life, come in early, leave late, nights, weekends, your summer vacation is spent with him. You don't notice at first but he's already suckered you in. Your friends start to notice little things. "You've been there how long and still only make $6 an hour?" "You don't even get free ice cream?" "You really had to clean up urine out of a trashcan?" "Oh, you still work THERE?" You begin to think maybe they're right. You can do better. There are other options. Bigger and better, more money, more freedom, more autonomy, less mess. But you feel you owe him. Afterall, he picked you with no experience, no talent, no nothing and took you in and gave you a chance. He begins to sense you're unhappy and starts making you promises he won't keep. "Baby, I'm giving you a raise." "I'll give you money for college if you stick with me." "I'll promote you so you have more responsibility." "I'll give you your own set of keys." Before you know it, years have passed and you are still miserable but still afraid to leave. He's safe, familiar, you're constant in a crazy upside down world. Finally one day you decide you have had enough and you plan to make your escape. You drop the bomb on him and feel guilty. You make excuses, you know, graduating high school, you need a change. It's nothing personal. It's not you it's me. He tried to be the bigger person and says he understands. In the end he doesn't even say goodbye to your face, no going away party, four years and not even a handshake. As you leave you tell yourself you're doing the right thing. You turn and look back and he has a smirk on his face. He knows you'll be back

And eventually you do go back. Why? Because deep down you do love him. He may be absusive and treat you like crap and walk all over you, but you can't help yourself. He's been with you through good times and bad. He's watched you grow and become the person you want to be. He's always been there and works with you when you need him to. You learn things from him you can't learn from anyone else and he learns things from you. And every once and a while, he'll do something really nice and unexpected that makes you so happy to be associated with him. Call it love, call it insanity, all you know is that no matter what happens or what he does, you'll always have a special soft spot in your heart reserved for him. And no matter how hard you try to leave him, you'll always come back to him.

Workin' at the Dairy Queen, the DQ.  I just can't stay away from you.