Some Day

Being injured and on Workman’s Compensation sucks. Being on WC because the boss did not want to get health insurance sucks even more. When he bought the business, I was asked if not having insurance “was a problem” and I said that I was 50 and yes it was a problem. The owner before him had it. He ignored me. A year ago I started to complain that I was becoming overwhelmed and we either needed another person or lighten the load. He ignored me. Now I find out from the doctor that if I had gone to get checked out it would not have gone this far and I would not be in continuous pain and wearing a spinal brace. I have tried to be a Nice Guy through this whole thing but it is getting hard. We were living paycheck to paycheck before and now I am getting 60 percent less than before. I maintain the business and keep it running while he stops by to collect the money which takes about two hours a week. This business was a novelty to him. When he bought it he said that it was so that his boys would have something to do when they got older. They were toddlers when he bought it!

Jobs are hard to find right now, even for Nice Guys. It does not help when you have physical limitations put on you for the job you have done for over two decades. It is a little hard to train for another job at my age when people look at you and see someone who they think might retire in a couple of years. Because of the damage to my back I have a hard time to even sit for long. If I had only been a dick and demanded that I get health insurance I would not be in this situation. There must be a dick training course for Nice Guys, I need to find it.

I went on a small trip with the wife this past weekend, just to get away. I ended up driving for almost five hours which is not biggie. This was the first that I learned about the limitations that I have for sitting. I wore the brace while I was driving but it only seemed a little sore. The next day was agony. No matter what I did my back was all stiff and sore. After going to the therapist today, she explained that this could be as bad as overdoing it at work. Great, I can’t even sit in a car without pain. And this month, we have to take trips with our children to colleges to check them out. One is a seven hour one way drive. If we had a van maybe I could lie in the back for the trip.

Some day, Nice Guys will be able to speak up not get into the crap that I have found myself in. They say that the meek will inherit the earth, aren’t Nice Guys meek?