Skip to main content

Tables Turn

Have you ever wondered how an employer and employee think differently especially towards end month? It is a few days to end month right? What are you looking forward to? Receiving your hard earned salary yeah? What is the employer thinking about? Where will the salaries, rent etc come from?

With 6 days to go, an employer like me  is praying for a client to walk in and make a payment that will hopefully offset the outstanding expenses.When I was employed, I did my work faithfully but at times when Kenya Power decided to ration the electricity, I didn't mind,  I only got upset if I lost my unsaved work. In business, having no lights means nothing would go on. I would frantically call their emergency number to find out what the problem was and when lights were expected back.

I miss the free use of internet, printing paper, photocopier? One would research, download without a care. Now, I ask  myself. Is it worth downloading? How long with my orange card last this month? I write emails offline just to save and make it last as long as it can. How tables turn ?

I used to look forward to end of day and going home when employed.  Once you step out of work, you think about it the next day. Don't get me wrong, I  love going home to my family, but at times the day is so quiet and you  wonder whether there is a client stuck in traffic coming to your shop?You go home wondering whether tomorrow will be a better day than today.

Oh how I miss applying  for leave days.Now as the sole employee/employer, I would love to close shop and take a holiday. For now, I look forward to my Saturday afternoons, Sundays and if there is a public holiday even better. In starting a business, there are sacrifices that need to be made and for me this is just one of them for now. Someone reminded me the other day that Rome was not build in one day. They said , we see all these third/fourth generation businesses and envy them but forget that they started  from scratch. Somebody somewhere in the forgotten past, sacrificed for it to be where it is today.  Sometimes I wish that Rome can be built in one day, but most times I understand that this business is not for me, it is for generations to come. It is the legacy we shall leave for our children.

All in all , I still love my job, with its challenges and achievements. I know that one day, it will grow and things will change. For now ,am doing my countdown to end month and praying that clients come.

Comments

Ems Makuthi said…
and you are definitely operating on a new level...and are learning much more than we can or do, I think self discipline is the hardest in life...you are doing good girl.
27 July 2011 at 11:04
Sylvia_Counselor said…
We never stop learning do we?.The day we stop, we die. Thanks Ems.
27 July 2011 at 13:11
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Journey with Caleb's Family

A friend requested me to share my story on the journey we walked with Caleb's family. So below is a very long blog on that over 1 month. Am not sure what is in store for us ahead but this far it has been God. After our experience with Atrial Septal Defect(ASD) through our daughter Samara, I felt within me a call to look for people to partner with regarding kids with heart issues. So In January this year, I checked the net and bumped into a local NGO. The organization basically deals with kids with heart defects from poor families. I thought it was a noble call and contacted the organization. They were fast to respond and I visited them alone and over the weekend on a Saturday with my family. On the Saturday we went, we met Caleb and his parents. This was end of January and they were discussing with the founder of the organization about how to raise airfare for them to travel to India, first week of February. I held Caleb briefly in my arms and his mum kept saying one day her...
7 comments
Read more

Househelps

This morning as we drove to work, we tuned into a radio station that had an interesting discussion...yeah you guessed it, it was on househelps.The background was that there is a lady who has helped develop a curriculum for domestic workers in Kenya and the emphasis is on respecting oneself, good grooming, respecting the job one is doing etc. She was encouraging all employers to enrol their domestic workers for the curriculum but many were hesitant stating that they would invest much in the househelps then after a few weeks/days the girls would leave..but she said if all homes trained the domestic workers then whenever they left, then you would receive one who is trained as everyone has played their role. The morning show had 2 male presenters, and two ladies and what caused a stir was that the men asked one lady.." whether she would employ a househelp who was prettier than her? "Would you employ one who's esteem is high and dresses well if you were married" . The l...
4 comments
Read more
Looking back at where I am today and where the 8-4-4 system had placed me, I thank God that He has a purpose and plan for all of us. At times I wonder whether I will be able to tell my kids that I was never in the top 10 position in class. Most of our parents have told us how they were position 1 in their class and I always wonder who was last? Think about it. I envy today’s young generation. Having being raised in Kericho and Nakuru in my younger days, I didn’t know English too well and at 6 years I was speaking broken English. My first birthday was so memorable and exciting in that I could not say birthday and would welcome my friends and visitors by saying ‘welcome to my passday’. Oh well ,thank God that we catch up quick and I went to Milimani Primary and later Nairobi Primary and my report forms would read “ Sylvia is very playful and can do better if she settled down" or "slight imporvement but can do better". Class 8 came and I scored 432/700, and that was ok...
4 comments
Read more