The Glove

By Valerie X Armstrong

This glove is just one of many that have been worn by a hard working man I know...a man who has worked since he was a young teen and is now middle aged...pushing senior status...I saved it as a testament to the sacrifices he has made for his family...Sometimes he went through two or three pairs a week...sometimes more. These gloves are worn thread bare from the dirty, hard, heavy work this man has done to eke out a meager living.

 The hands they are worn to protect are not just ordinary hands, they are the talented, sensitive hands of a musician who can make a guitar evoke any emotion known to mankind. This man has worked at any job he could find, when necessary. He is an accomplished musician, recording engineer (with a Full Sail degree to prove it) , Deejay, surveyor, electrician, among other things, but when work in his chosen fields was scarce he would do just about any job to support himself and his family...

He is no free loader or slacker. In fact, he was seriously injured doing the work he wore these gloves to do. That, plus being a victim of an auto accident just a few blocks from his home has rendered him disabled according to the United States Social Security Administration. 

Getting approved for disability is a grueling task in and of itself. It sometimes takes years to be approved and countless forms and doctors verifications are required. It is paid into by the worker, just like retirement, and is not a freebie from the government paid for by taking away from anybody else.

 It irritates me no end when holier than thou people who are fortunate enough never to have had any accidents severe enough to cause them permanent disability, complain that their hard earned tax dollars are paying for some "dead beat" on disability. The amount paid by disability is not enough to live on. Hard work does not always equal money and success. Just about anyone at any time can find themselves in a similar situation, so be careful before you judge someone else. Karma, you know.

 

Move Over Ivanka

By Valerie X Armstrong

When I was a young wife and mother, I did many things to contribute financially to the household...I worked part time jobs of various kinds along with helping my husband in his business...I sold real estate, worked retail, managed a tanning salon, cleaned offices, bought and sold antiques for profit , did party catering for friends and family, baby sat, did ironing for others, sold exercise equipment door to door, tutored kids and adults and tried to start my own clothing design company. 

  The idea to start the clothing company was a good one.  I had design that was original and a hit with the plus sized community.  Being plus sized at the time, myself, worked out well.  I advertised my creations with a hand drawn, hand written ad in the back of a plus sized magazine called BBW (Big Beautiful Woman).  It was a popular magazine and the first of it's kind created especially for the plus size market.   All the models were plus sized beauties and the articles were great.  My little ad got quite a lot of interest and questions, but not a lot of sales from individuals...I did, much to my surprise, get several large orders from dress shops all over the country.  I was just making these outfits by myself in my dining room with my little portable sewing machine.  I could make one in a couple of hours, but the orders were so large that I was spending every waking moment on them and still couldn't keep up with the orders.  My sewing machine started to malfunction.  I knew I needed help...The customers I had already served wanted more and sent repeat orders...I was trying to find help and get a loan to get professional equipment.  I knew nothing of business.  I had just expected to have a few individuals send orders and I could handle that, but I was inundated with orders....BIG orders.  This was before the internet and I tried to research starting a business, but I wasn't too savvy at that point and had no formal business plan.  I went to the Small business Administration and bank after bank trying to get a loan to rent space and buy equipment and hire help, but was turned down repeatedly...Some even smiled condescendingly and patted me on the head..  Eventually, I ran out of steam and had to give it up.  My success did me in.  It made me sick having to turn down orders...I gave it my best shot though.  It's so much easier when you have money and backing to make a successful business...Having a famous last name doesn't hurt, either.