THE THINGS WE DO TO MAKE A LIVING.

Have you ever had a memorable first day or night at work? I certainly did. Thirty-five years ago today, I woke up unemployed and ended up staying awake for thirty-three hours.

Having heard about a security guard company in need of employees, I made my way to their office. I didn't expect to actually land a job since I suffered from poor vision. It was just something to do to show the Unemployment Insurance Commission that I was looking for work. Having been turned down by employer after employer, I felt as if I'd never find a job.

I found the office of Western Investigation Bureau in a cinder block building among the warehouses in an industrial area. After answering the usual questions, one guard gave me a uniform shirt and told me to report to a construction site at midnight.

I attended the Wednesday evening Bible study at the house church which I attended, then reported to work. A guard showed me the route I should walk and told me about what the company expected of me. In between patrols, we talked and listened to the radio. I always associate the song, "Life's Been Good," by Joe Walsh with that night since I first heard it then.

Though I felt tired, I survived the shift. But I couldn't go to bed as I had hoped. At the bus depot, I used the photo booth to take my security guard ID picture. Then I went to the police station to have my fingerprints taken. I went home to eat lunch, then visited the lady whose house I'd be looking after while she was on holiday. In the afternoon, I learned the woman's daughter's newspaper route and flower delivery route at the General Hospital. Then I received some last-minute instructions about caring for the lady's house and dog.

I arrived at my rented room at suppertime and went straight to bed. Even then, I wasn't left alone. The lady called after an hour to ask if I made it home safely. I panicked since I thought I had slept for twelve hours and missed my shift. After a few hours sleep, I woke, dressed, and rode the bus to the construction site for another eight-hour shift.

I wrote more about this surprising turn of events in my newly-published How I Was Razed book. Find out more about my journey from cultic superstition to the freedom in Christ at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Virtual Bookworm Publishers. My previous paperbacks are featured at the left hand side of this page.