The Dark Path

[racecar]

My husband worked a graveyard shift for some months, not years. It was hard for my husband because we were all home and making noise. The tension in the house was obvious. Our schedules did not gel. We all felt lousy.

My dad worked graveyard in a prison for many years. He also did doubles so he could be home more. The job required he travel until he got a local position. In the end his health suffered. I'm less sure if it was the stress of being on a different schedule than his family and overworked or other.

My dad had a heart attack around age 54, but so did my grandfather. As far as attitude, the less I say the better. Although we do get along much better now that neither of is too much off schedule.

I read recently that... "the sun rises with a burst of energy that cleans and refreshes everything on earth. When you get out of bed around the time of sunrise, you can take full advantage of this burst of energy. It is at this time that your body has the greatest capacity to discharge excess, to clean and refresh itself. Within an hour or two after sunrise, the sun's movements start to slow down. By 9 a.m. it has slowed down considerably... During the night we receive very subtle energy from the celestial world, the moon, stars and planets...Celestial vibrations are strongest between midnight and four a.m. ...The better our health the, the less time we need for the cycle of cleaning, repairing and recharging".

It said something about having to be horizontal for it to be most effectively absorbed.

Maybe we're still absorbing the energy, just not it's full potential benefits.??

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Ooops....what am I missing?



Very interesting thread!

[austintorn@aol.com]

The best thing about some night jobs is that nothing much happens. Since I was a night owl anyway, I became a hotel desk clerk.

After the occasional late check-in and before the making of the room cleaning schedule, I read books and created composite pictures on my computer and went on-line.

Sometimes, though, I fell asleep in my chair.

Another really great thing is that you are awake long before you have to go to work.

I'll have to find another good job like that soon.

[dolly]

sorry for the typo. the shift was 6p.m. to 2a.m. PEACE dolly

[labelwench]

Thanks to all who have added and shared their experience and observations. Certainly, some night jobs are more enviable than others and choosing night work does indeed confer some advantages for some people.

The most frequent health concern that afflicts many graveyard shift workers is sleep disorder. This shift does not work for young families or those who desire an active social life. Borderline schizoid personalities and task oriented individuals may find some satisfaction in the grocery retail trade of "night stocking".

Weight loss and high blood pressure are two more conditions that crop up frequently. Illness, especially upper respiratory and influenza are common. Some very consistent "mood swings" or personality changes start to appear in the majority of people who reach the 6-8 month point of full-time graveyard work.

Another factor that likely has some impact is our 24/7 daylight during the summer, which makes sleep even more elusive. Sleep is easier during the dark months, but the cold weather does limit opportunities for fresh air and exercise.

Having worked the graveyard shift last night, it is time for me to have my "evening meal" and relax before retiring around 3-4:00 p.m.

Regards,

Labelwench

[Mikal]

Irony.....graveyard shift=digging your own slow grave!!! I wonder when we will stop slavery of the many for the few...???


Mikal

[labelwench]

The irony of this is that it is everyone of us who expect to be able to shop for groceries and other commodities 24/7, that are to blame for the present situation.

Policemen, firemen, hospital staff, emergency measures,..... these self-sacrificing services are in place to save lives and maintain public safety. Groceries aren't quite in that league from my perspective.

You should see how huffy the customers are when we have empty shelves because our freight truck hit the ditch or a moose, or there was almost no night crew as they were deathly ill with the 'flu.

In my humble opinion, everyone should have to pull a week of night shifts, before they should have the privelege of shopping in the store. Acquire some humility and respect for the people that are working to secure your food supply.

Think about it. There's two feet of snow on the ground and everything we eat has to be trucked over 1500 km, 2-4 trucks arriving every night. Those truck drivers risk their lives every run. People don't think about that. "Why don't you have any baby arugula"? Sorry, the reefer broke down in the -40 weather and it is now just frozen compost....

There's one of those unpredictable mood swings I've warned you all about, LOL. I appreciate all of your comments and the opportunity to learn from you and perhaps share what the dark path is really like....

Labelwench

P.S.- My posting name is my self-appointed nickname, because every Saturday, (tonight's shift) I change between 1,500 and 2,000 labels. It's quite a rush, literally and figuratively! Later.....

[racecar]

Can you imagine having to grow your own baby arugula in the dead of winter? What about bananas and avacados? I don't have a goji berry bush in my back yard, do you?

At our former coffee shop we were trying to help a local farmer distribute his products in package form. There was interest, although just knowing the personalities of the people on his list one could predict a clash of expectations. 'What do you mean the chickens wouldn't lay eggs? They always lay eggs!'

Anyway, I uderstand your frustration.

P.S. We had a flat in Yukon territory. In the middle of the night, before break up, with two babies in the car and wolves howling in our ears. The next streach of road took three hours on a doughnut with little visibility before reaching the next gas station. Pretty rough and beautiful country. Passing on a belated thanks for my breakfast.

[labelwench]

Greetings, Racecar,

My humour is much restored. A very busy night at work with the No Name promotion ending and two new events starting up. I have two excellent co-workers and labels are the priority in this location, as the ordering structure is intimately tied to same. The pricing practice here in Canada is such that, if an item scans higher than it's labelled price, the customer is entitled to the item (up to $10.00) for free. Needless to say, some customers are very astute in their observation of this rule, and I take the challenge very seriously, even though, I myself, suffer no financial consequence.

It's a matter of respect. The customer is entitled to the best information when making their shopping choices, and it is up to the corporation to deliver this information in a timely manner. Major restructuring still underway at Loblaws. Some positive initiatives, a great deal of redundancy still. Enough about that.

Regarding your comment on the distance between settlements on the Alaska Highway, things are even worse presently. Many of the lodges that used to be open during the winter are closed, due to the increased cost of maintaining services and the considerably decreased volume of road traffic. Whitehorse is a long way off the beaten path! And a long and winding road it is....

Our services are excellent. We have all of the latest technology available to us, regular air flight service, a vibrant art community, vocational and academic learning venues, health care and protective services, a sports multi-plex and outdoor recreational opportunities etc. An of course, high-speed internet service providers

Yet, we are totally dependant on trucking. All of our transportation and heating fuels, our groceries, our commodities, arrive by truck. Some items are barged to Skagway, Alaska and then make the final 100 + mile trek by truck.

Our range of products is amazing. Last week, fresh Pineapple was 1.98 each! I kid you not....

So, from the little town in the North with big city attitude and challenges, I bid you farewell for now....

Labelwench

[Mikal]

The irony of this is that it is everyone of us who expect to be able to shop for groceries and other commodities 24/7, that are to blame for the present situation.

Policemen, firemen, hospital staff, emergency measures,..... these self-sacrificing services are in place to save lives and maintain public safety. Groceries aren't quite in that league from my perspective.

You should see how huffy the customers are when we have empty shelves because our freight truck hit the ditch or a moose, or there was almost no night crew as they were deathly ill with the 'flu.

In my humble opinion, everyone should have to pull a week of night shifts, before they should have the privelege of shopping in the store. Acquire some humility and respect for the people that are working to secure your food supply.

Think about it. There's two feet of snow on the ground and everything we eat has to be trucked over 1500 km, 2-4 trucks arriving every night. Those truck drivers risk their lives every run. People don't think about that. "Why don't you have any baby arugula"? Sorry, the reefer broke down in the -40 weather and it is now just frozen compost....

There's one of those unpredictable mood swings I've warned you all about, LOL. I appreciate all of your comments and the opportunity to learn from you and perhaps share what the dark path is really like....

Labelwench

P.S.- My posting name is my self-appointed nickname, because every Saturday, (tonight's shift) I change between 1,500 and 2,000 labels. It's quite a rush, literally and figuratively! Later.....

Hi wrench...the true irony of this situation is that there are elites who study the social sciences and understand the motivations which push psychological human needs. They then study the psychology of socilization and understand just how you use the economic force to drive the mass of society into the direction you need them to go. Out of all that came the force to move society to Globalism which is essentially non-stop production, constant consumerism and as that accelerates business must align with the force for the purpose of non-stop production which essentially leads to great wealth for the corporational elites. In this whole process the workforce is slowly turned to nothing but slavery...when wealth and greed push the economic force there is no respect for the worker and wellbeing and it opens the door for quite unethical business ethics for example genetically modifying seeds, genetically modifying food, injecting livestock with chemicals for fast growth....etc, etc, etc....

This would be the true irony.....


Mikal

[leskey]

Hi, all.

I have a sister-in-law who began nightshift 6 years ago at a snack food manufacturer owned by a global conglomerate. During that time her personality has undergone a marked change. She has lost confidence, is not as outgoing and suffers from chronic arthritis which has stemmed from two workplace place-related causes:

. an accident where she slipped on an oily floor and fell heavily on one knee; and
. repetitive operation of stiff, inadequately serviced equipment from which there is insufficient allocated rest breaks.

Since the decline in her general well-being, she has also become lethargic and has gained weight.

In both instances, the company continues to flaunt Workplace Health and Safety Regulations. Even in her role as a senior supervisor and union representative, she knows her job is on the line if she pushes the issues too far...In addition, she has also had a fairly serious car accident and whilst she was not a fault, may have been avoidable had her reflexes been sharper.

If this is a typical scenario in a highly regulated first-world environment, it certainly gives pause for thought about the plight of workers in third-world countries.

Hi wrench...the true irony of this situation is that there are elites who study the social sciences and understand the motivations which push psychological human needs. They then study the psychology of socilization and understand just how you use the economic force to drive the mass of society into the direction you need them to go. Out of all that came the force to move society to Globalism which is essentially non-stop production, constant consumerism and as that accelerates business must align with the force for the purpose of non-stop production which essentially leads to great wealth for the corporational elites. In this whole process the workforce is slowly turned to nothing but slavery...when wealth and greed push the economic force there is no respect for the worker and wellbeing and it opens the door for quite unethical business ethics for example genetically modifying seeds, genetically modifying food, injecting livestock with chemicals for fast growth....etc, etc, etc....

What you say, is very true, Mikal...however, we reap what we sow. The might and anonymity afforded to "systems" ensures distance from obligation and resonsibility, especially when both have been widely distributed through greedy shareholders. It has been a simply unsustainable situation. Now, these systems are starting to fall apart at the seams, starting with the economic system. The shareholders are starting to experience some long-overdue pain after a generation of guiltless gain.

"Perfection is not when there is more to add, but when there is no more to take away."

IMHO, and as idealistic as it might sound, we have the capacity to succeed and progress by acting out of appreciation and gratitude for just being: everyone wins .