Just An Angry Hippie

Today I am thankful for the laughs I get listening to criticism. 

As I shopped for a purse with a peace sign, I was told that I was an angry hippie.

Yeah....I'm so angry that I have to surround myself with peace signs.

I quipped that I'm not an angry hippie.

I am a temperamental demi-goddess! 

Yeah....I envision myself as a cross between Themis and Hecate....

but in reality, I'm just a trickster coyote.  

Yeah....I'm just a dog. 

Woof!! 

Then I thought about it.

I was born during the Vietnam War.

I have the energy of the year of my birth.

There were a lot of angry hippies during the Vietnam War.

Maybe that's my problem.

Maybe I carry the energy from the circumstances of my conception and the earliest sounds I heard.

I spent the first eight weeks of my life in a hospital.

It could be that the doctors who kept me company told me about the horrors of war.

I remember one doctor.

His name was Sayers.  He would visit from time to time until he died.

He died when I was ten.

That could be why I don't trust the government.

There are uncles I never met because they died in the war.

There are great uncles I never met because they died in World War II.  I'm pretty sure my step-father left his soul in Germany back in 1944 when they liberated the camps.

He refused to talk about it.

I don't know.

Maybe I am an angry hippie.

When a group of politicians act like they have to pass the Kobayashi Maru, they have far too much power over others.

Leadership is NOT a test to see if you can send others to their death.  

Sometimes leadership is showing sensitivity and speaking up for those too afraid to speak up for themselves. 

I took a job that I shouldn't have taken. 

I went to work for the company that bought my previous employer. 

It was like a reunion.  

I didn't check the reviews on LinkedIn, Glassdoor or Indeed until I noticed one of the trainers emotionally abusing people.

Apparently, this goes on quite a bit at this company.  It seems to be their standard operating procedure.  

This woman would literally sit there and berate her underlings for minutes on end. 

She tried it with me. 

She didn't understand Medicare law.  I asked a question.  She berated me for it.  

I made the mistake of snickering. 

She looked so funny as she tried to tear me a new ass. 

It was kind of funny. 

She incorrectly quoted Federal law and asked my opinion.  

I corrected her.  

She was furious!  

She went insane. 

She did this on my birthday. 

I thanked her for giving me cause to think of how I spend my time.  

It was a very existential birthday present.

I am looking now for a job where I can help more people than disabled people seeking special needs plans.  

I only took this job to make up for my ex's inability to pay child support.  I figure that if I have a job in addition to my small business, I could make up for his lack of desire to support the kids. 

I thought this woman's behavior was a one off. 

She's been doing this to my colleagues, too. 

After reading reviews online, I went to HR. 

Her boss wants me to stay quiet. 

I may not be there by the end of the week. 

I can't believe I gave up my unemployment benefits for this opportunity.  I make so much money on my own, I didn't really touch the unemployment. 

I still have five months left. 

Maybe if they fire me for being smart, I can get a better job where I can really help people.  

Sigh.....

The worst part of it was having her boss call me sensitive.  I've known this guy for years. 

Um....he doesn't know me.

I thought he knew me.  

I'm not sensitive. 

I'm an INFJ.  When things are sunny, I can be a ray of sunshine. 

When things are dark and dreary, I'm an evil empath.  

Hillary Clinton, Adolf Hitler, and Gandhi were angry INFJs. 

People died.  Just ask Kenneth Starr.  

I won't kill people.  

I'll kill funding -or- I'll stop selling for you.  

So.....I'll ponder where my anger is truly coming from. 

It really doesn't matter. 

It's the last day of a waning moon. 

Maybe a little black magick is in order. 

There are some people I need to protect before I fly the dysfunctional nest.

Oh, and I used to have a website about workplace bullying inspired by the Tax Audit department contained within my local government.  I have hours upon hours of audios I could upload.  I also have hundreds of pages of testimony that has been transcribed.

I've chosen not to do that in the hopes my life is more peaceful.

I took down most of the posts after a city attorney complained.  I'm thinking about getting rid of the city's name and reposting everything so people can see how bullying plays out.

Bullies do not prosper - for long.  The organizations that allow bullies to thrive tend to have a lot of attrition.

I've also learned that if you're being bullied, you're probably too good at your job.  The bully may be intimidated by you and want you to fly the coop.

This is my favorite quote - 

"Only the best are bullied." - Tim Field

Yeah....insecure people have to berate smart and capable people. 

It's just the way sociopaths work.

It's not fair.  It's life.

I'd prefer to take the high road -but- I'm a witch who is unafraid of the fire pits of hell.

Stay safe and sane out there. 

Love ya lots, 

S.

NEXT DAY EDIT:  Well....I'm still getting job offers.   In fact, some of those offers are with the company I'm trying to get away from.

Weird, huh?

I was at work today fielding calls from recruiters trying to get me into the job I erroneously accepted.  They make it sound like this company can't get people to stick around.  One of the recruiters offered me more money for the very job I am doing right now.

I thought that was a bit odd.  I laughed and told him my boss needs all the help she could get!

He apologized as he didn't realize that I was already working there.

On the bright side, if this company is increasing pay, the economy must be improving!

Hooray!!!

Today I learned that I have a new supervisor. 

My new supervisor is someone I've known for years.  We studied for our licensure exams together a few years ago.  She's very good at what she does.

She looked aghast when she saw my supervisor trying to intimidate me last week.  She complained about the bully and was quickly promoted away from her.  In fact, she went from being the bully's underling to being her boss!

I love it!!

The bully and I are contract workers.  My new supervisor was given a full time, year round job with my former employer!

Good things happen when you say nice things about people you know to your former employer.

I was walking by the recruiters and made mention that this woman was firm but fair.  She was hired the same day!

She deserves the good karma!  She has done so much for others, it makes me happy to see it come back to her.

I found myself rewarded, too.  This awesome woman is going to be my boss and trainer for the next two months.

It's great when things work out.

Here's the deal:

If we spend so much time with our colleagues, we may want to choose to spend time with people we actually like....

doing things we actually like to do.....

without watching any members of our work family being bullied.

I've decided to look for a job that aligns more with my career goals rather than making up money that I should be getting elsewhere.  Psychotherapists should not take sales jobs to make up money they should be receiving from child support.

I'm spreading myself too thin and not serving the people I was trained to serve.

I'm going to get out of the insurance game.

Do what you love and the money will follow.

Treasure those difficult people who make you realize that you're on the wrong track.  That's what the bully did for me.

She made me realize that I don't want to deal with obnoxious salespeople forty hours per week.  Just because we do something well, it doesn't mean we should be doing it.

I can sell.  I just don't like to sell.  I like to solve problems (which is why I can sell).

I'm going to get back to solving problems without pitching a product.

I'm just about to get my path right again thanks to an insecure, nasty young lady with a penchant for yelling.

Cheers!