Tales From My Corner

Tales from My Corner. Stop it! I know what you must be thinking: "My Corner"?? Her "Corner"? Ok. Get your mind out of the gutter 'cause it's not what you're thinking. Yes, it's a literal corner, and yes, I'm working it. Nevertheless, all things are not what they appear to be... Now that you have that image out of your head (let's hope), I'll explain: Because my thirty-year health professional career came to an unexpected halt, I was, like so many, forced to re-invent myself at age 54. Up until then, I was blessed to have a very rewarding career both psychologically and financially. After coming out of high school as a nurse and then getting a degree in medical secretarial science, I settled into a career as a radiation therapist. Two things were certain as I worked in this field----I made a difference and I made good money. To give some insight on the financial benefits, the last assignment I had paid $50 per hour. You know that they say hindsight is 20-20. That's for sure!!!! If I had it to do all over again, some stuff would definitely be different. Some mistakes would not have been made----literally. In 2008, I became a whistle blower of sorts at my place of employment. One should not become a whistle blower (one who speaks up for injustice) without having all of their "ducks in a row". Unfortunately, that was NOT my case. As a result of making a mistake, attempting to cover it up (the cover up would have been successful), and confessing to it in detail, after much deliberation, I was given the choice to resign or.....you know the rest. I paid the price for calling the union about poor work conditions...I believe the "take home" message for my experience was and still is HUMILITY. No matter what your "station" in life is, I admonish everyone to not get too comfortable----life and its situations can shift as quickly as the wind shifts. After all, my income went from a job making $50 per hour to one that made