(Ifoto: Iifoto zeFlazingo / iFlickr)
Namhlanje ibilusuku lwam lokugqibela njengomhleli ophezulu kwinkampani enkulu yokupapasha, ngaphezulu kweminyaka emihlanu emva kokuqala lo msebenzi kunye neminyaka elishumi elinesihlanu kwikhondo lomsebenzi endakha ndacinga ukuba ndifuna ngaphezulu kwayo nayiphi na enye into.
Njengoko kuvela, eyona nto ndiyifunayo ngaphezu kwayo nayiphi na enye into kukonwaba.
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Xa ndandineminyaka elishumi elinesihlanu, ndazama ukuyeka umsebenzi wam wasehlotyeni kwindawo yokutyela yasendaweni kunye nevenkile yokutyela. Umphathi wam onqabileyo, onamehlo ophambeneyo wayehlala ebetha kumfana wam, naye owayesebenza apho. Umniniyo wayeliNgqina likaYehova elinomatse ondenza ndingonwabi ngalo lonke ixesha efika kwisiza. Ndandidiniwe kukutshiza pepperoncini kwindawo yesaladi yonke imihla kwiqela labakhenkethi abangenambulelo baseCanada abangazange babethe. (Uxolo, baseKhanada, kodwa esi yayisisibhubhane kwiidolophu eziselunxwemeni lwaseMaine embindini weshumi elinethoba.) Yayingumsila wokuphela kwesizini kwaye isoka lam laqinisekisa ukuba kufanelekile ukuba siyeke ukonwaba ngeveki yomhla wabasebenzi- kude Ukuphinda kufuneke imigqomo yebhasi kunye nebhetshi enephunga elimnandi yescallop ebambelele njengeebarnacles kwiGap khakis yethu.
Jonga, ndandimncinci kwaye ndithandana kwaye yayilixesha lokuqala endakha ndalibona iqwalaselwe Ukuthuka umntu. Kwakoyikisa kodwa, kukhulula! Ndiza kumatsha ndingene eofisini yomphathi wam, ndikhulule ifaskoti yam eluhlaza eluhlaza, ndize ndibhengeze ukuba angathatha ipeni yakhe ehlafunwayo yeBic aze andiwele. Unaphakade.
Ndaceba, ndaceba, ndaphinda ndaziqhelisa ukuthetha ngokuyeka. Ndiqokelele eyam iibhola .
Xa incoko yethu yemizuzu emine yayiphelile ndandisondele iinyembezi kwaye ndigubha ngento yam eneminyaka engamashumi amathathu anesithandathu ubudala eyibona njengokwesaba, kodwa ngelo xesha ndandiziva ngathi ndiza kufa. Ukongeza ukonzakala, umama wayelinde kwindawo yokupaka izokundilanda kwishifti yam. Ukuyeka my iibhola ndingenamagama kwiveni yakhe, bendingazokwazi ukumxelela kwangoko ukuba ndiyayeka. Ngandlel 'ithile ndiye ndaziva ngathi ibiyinto engeyiyo ukuyenza- nangona umphathi wam wayeyi-jackass kwaye nangona umphathi wam wayengafanelekanga kwaphela nangona ithiyiwe ndinuka ngathi kusezantsi kweFryolator yonke imihla xa ndifika ekhaya.
Ngentsasa elandelayo, abazali bam babendilindile esofeni. Umphathi wam wayebizile ebazisa ngesigqibo sam esingxamile kwaye ebacela ukuba bangenelele, esithi ndibaluleke kakhulu ekusebenzeni ngempumelelo kwivenkile yokutyela ukuze ndilahlekelwe kwesi sikhundla sinzima. Uninzi lwabantu baseKhanada, bekubonakala ngathi luza kube lukhalela imiqolo ye-lobster enamaxabiso aphezulu endinokubakhonza kuphela.
Makhe ndicacise: oku kufana nokuthi umntu oneminyaka elishumi elinesihlanu ubudala kumzi-mveliso waseZhengzhou ubalulekile kwi-Apple eyenza amanani ayo ngekota.
Ndiyazi, abazali bam bayazi, kwaye umphathi wam wayesazi ukuba ubukho bam okanye ukungabikho kwam kwakungeke kuguqule ikamva lokumiselwa kwakhe-i-Applebee ngexesha leentsuku zenja zika-Agasti. Ndicinga ukuba wayecaphuka nje, ngequbuliso wayengekho namnye, kodwa babini abanamandla omvuzo omncinci, kwaye wayesazi ukuba angamosha intsalela yehlobo lam ngokutsala isikhundla somzali. Kwaye ndinikwe intetho yam yokuxhalaba ubusuku obudlulileyo, mhlawumbi wayekrokrela ukuba uzakundikhupha ngaphambi kokuba ndibenethuba lokwazisa umama notata ukuba andingenguye umlobi wexesha elizayo ababecinga ukuba bangaphakamisa, kodwa ke ukuyeka kancinci ukuyeka.
Bazolile bandixelela ukuba kufuneka ndiyifunxe ndibuyele umva. Ndalila ndadlala ngelithi ndiyaziqinisa. Oku kwakungekho sikweni! Babambelela ngokuqinileyo. Ndenze ukuzibophelela kulo msebenzi, batsho, kwaye asizukubuyela nje kwizibophelelo zethu xa ubunzima buza kuba nzima. Okanye intlanzi. 
(Ifoto: Kai Chan Vong / Flickr)
Khange ndibenengxoxo eqinileyo. Bendingashiyi gig engcono okanye imali engaphezulu. Andizange ndakhe i-career kwinkonzo yokutya efuna ukunyuka kwileli ukuya kwi-Clam Shack kaMike. Andizange ndifudukele eNew Hampshire, kwaye ndandingafumaniswanga ukuba ndine-shellfish enzima. Ndandingonwabanga nje, kwaye ndandingafuni ukuvela. Enye. Ongatshatanga. NguThixo. Demethi. Usuku.
Kodwa ke ndibuyele umva, imitya yefaskoti phakathi kwemilenze yam. Abukhange bonakalise ubomi bam okanye ihlobo lam (nangona ndaye ndahlukana nesoka lam elisandula ukuphangela), kodwa eso siganeko safaka into kum engenakwenzeka ukushukumisa kude kube kutshanje:uluvo lokuba ukonwaba akufuneki kuthatheke phambili kunesimo esithile sokuzibophelela.
Ngoku, andithethi ngolonwabo ngaphezulu kokwenza izigqibo ngokufanelekileyo. Lo ibingumsebenzi wasehlotyeni, ndirhola imali yepini - akufani nokuba bendiphuma ndisiya emthonjeni wentlawulo yosapho lwam yonke okanye ndibeka emngciphekweni ingxowa mali yam yasekholejini. Iidola ezimbini kunye neesenti ezingamashumi amane ngeyure, kunye neengcebiso ezivela kubantu ababengengabo baseKhanada, zazingazukundithumela eHarvard. Ndithetha ngokuziva ngathi akulunganga ukuyeka lo msebenzi ngaphandle kwesizathu ngaphandle kokuba ndingonwabanga. Ndaziva ndibuhlungu ngelixa ndiyenzayo, kwaye andizange ndikhululeke kakhulu xa kwenziwe. Kwaye xa ndabizwa ngabazali bam kwaye kwafuneka ndibuyele umva, ezo mvakalelo zomelele. Ndingumntu ombi kule meko, kwaye andikaze ndifune ukuziva ndinjalo kwakhona.
Ndinemisebenzi eliqela ukusukela ngoko ndifuna ukuyeka. Njengakwivenkile ethengisa iincwadi apho bendihlala ndigculelwa ngumphathi wam ngokuba ndiyazi yonke (ikwaziwa njengokufunda iincwadi endizincomayo kubathengi). Kodwa bendityikitye ukuba ndisebenze ngokukhawuleza kokuwa - abafundi kwikholeji ekufuphi bathenga iincwadi zabo kule venkile- kwaye ndazigcina ukuzibophelela kwam, naxa ndifumene isithembiso somsebenzi wokusebenzela iarhente yoncwadi ebalaseleyo. Ndatsala iiyure ezilishumi elinesithandathu ngeveki kwivenkile ngelixa ndiqala igig yam entsha njengomncedisi wearhente evekini.
Phantse unyaka kulo msebenzi kwaye bendiphuhlisa i-emphysema ukusuka ekuvalelweni ndisiya edolophini imini yonke nabantu ababini abatshayayo bepakisha-ngemini abathi nabo bathethe gadalala, mhlawumbi banxila, kwaye ngexabiso eliphantsi. Ngaba ndifuna ukuyeka? Phantse yonke imihla. Kodwa ngaba ngokunyanisekileyo ndafuna umsebenzi omtsha emva koko ndanikezela ngesisa kum umphathi oza kuba ngumqeshi wam kungekudala isaziso senyanga yonke - ngeeholide - ngaphambi kokuba uhambe? Ewe kuloo nto, nayo.
(Kwaye nangoku, xa ndathi ndabuya kwiinyanga ezimbalwa kamva ukuba ndihlawule imbeko kumama wakhe, wandazisa kwisihlwele esasihlanganisene njengo, Umncedisi wam owandishiya xa umama wayesifa, eqinisekisa ukuba nasemva kokwenza yonke into engaphezulu kwebhodi, Ndaziva ngoku ngokukhawuleza imbi ngokuyeka.)
Namhlanje, njengegqala elineminyaka elishumi elinesihlanu kushishino lokupapasha, ndingatsho ukuba ndiyishiyile imisebenzi ukuze ndenze imisebenzi ebhetele kwaye ndizame ukunyuka kwinqanaba elinyukayo, kodwa andikaze ndiphinde ndishiye nantoni na kwakhona ngenxa yolonwabo.
Kude kube ngoku.
Ndiyeke umsebenzi namhlanje.
Ndayeka kuba ndaziva ndibanjisiwe.
Ndiyekile kuba ubomi bufutshane imihla ngemihla.
Ndiyekile ngenxa yokuba ndiyabetha intiyo ndikhwela umgaqo kaloliwe kabini ngemini ngexesha lokuhamba.
Kodwa ubukhulu becala ndiyekile kuba bendonwabe nyani.
Jonga, kwakungekho konke okubi. Ndandinomphathi endixhasayo kunye noogxa bam abakrelekrele kunye nenkululeko yokusebenza kwiincwadi ezigqwesileyo; kodwa ekuhambeni kwexesha ndiye ndabona ukuba ishishini lokupapasha alilunganga ncam kwishishini lam lokuhlala ndiphilile.
Ke… ndiyekile.
Ngaba abantu badanile kum? Ewe, ndiye ndaqokelela ubusuku obuninzi bokungalali, ukuqubuka kwesicaphucaphu, kunye nerhashalala ethandekayo epinki ekhathazeka ngokuchanekileyo ngalo mbandela. Kodwa ndizimisele ukuba abo, ekugqibeleni baya kuqhuba kakuhle ngaphandle kwam. Ndiyathetha, ndiyathanda ukucinga ukuba ndiyimpahla exabisekileyo, kodwa akunjalo ngokungathi ndishiye isithuba sam njengogqirha kuphela edolophini ngexesha lokuqhambuka kwengqakaqha.
Kulungile, kodwa ngaba bendinaso isithembiso esikhuphisanayo, ubuza? Hayi.
Ngaba ndiyiphumelele ilotto? Ngokudabukisayo, akunjalo.
Ndandifuna ukonwaba ngakumbi, kwaye ukuze ndikwazi ukufezekisa oko, kwakufuneka ndibengumntu endandihlala ndimjongela phantsi: ukuyeka.
Ewe ndinokonga imali, kwaye umyeni uqhuba kakuhle, kwaye ndinecebo lokulandelayo isigaba yobomi bam bokusebenza. Andizami ukuthengisa umbono wokuba wonke umntu kufuneka aphume emsebenzini wakhe ngaphandle kokukunika ingqwalaselo ngononophelo kwii-engile ezininzi. Kodwa, kufana nendlela esihlala sicela ngayo abantwana abancinci: Ufuna ukuba yintoni xa ukhulile? kwaye impendulo esiyilindeleyo yinto efana nale: Ugqirha. Umchebi weenwele. Umqhubi wenqwelomoya. Ibhaleyi.
Mhlawumbi impendulo ekufanele ukuba siyayifuna ilula ngakumbi, kwaye yendalo iphela.
Iminyaka engamashumi amabini anesibini ebomini bam bokusebenza, ukusuka kwiidola ezimbini-ngeyure ukuya kumvuzo wamanani amathandathu, ekugqibeleni ndafika ekuqondeni ukuba ulonwabo lwam luxhomekeke kwizinto ezininzi, kubandakanya nokuchitha ixesha elininzi nomyeni wam, ukunqanda ukuhamba okutyumza umphefumlo, ukungasebenzi ngokwesiko iiyure eziyi-9-5, kwaye ukuba ngumphathi wam. Kwaye ndiye ndabona ukuba kunokwenzeka kakhulu ukuba ndizifumane zonke ezi zinto- hayi ezinye, kodwa ZONKE-ukuba ndiyekile umsebenzi wam wangoku.
Kodwa kunjalo, bekukho eli lizwi lincinci emva kwentloko yam elathi, Awungekhe… nje… YEKA. Unga?
Ewe, njengoko kuvela, unako.
Kwaye ndenzile.
Kwaye ndonwabile ngayo.
USarah Knight ungumhleli ozimeleyo kunye nombhali e sarahknightbook.com . Wayekhe wangena Abantu ephethe isinxibo senja enkulu kunye neqela lamakumkanikazi. Ibali lokwenyani.
