More than enough reason

Monday I started feeling a bit under the weather. My nose stared running, I started sneezing, and my head began to feel as if it was in a pressure cooker. I worked a normal day and headed home. It seemed the later it got in the day, the worse I felt. So Doug went to the store to get me some medicine (such a great hubby!). I slept fine thanks to the night time medicine but woke up feeling about the same. I went into work Tuesday a little late with plans of doing just a few things then leaving. When I was getting ready to head home, I went and told my boss I was leaving early for the day and why. She told me to go home, take care of myself, and get to feeling better. This morning I slept in a little and called my boss to let her know I would be in by 10. She asked me how I was feeling and when I told her not much better she replied, "Why don't you stay home?" I told her I had something I needed to do so I was coming in at least to get that done.

Now the point of this blog...

Everybody was surprised when I told them I was moving to Maryland and I do not think those (other than my co-workers) actually understood why. For 5 years it was just me. I had no back-up. It was me and one or two other people in my area (for the last year it was just two of us.) Sure there were TIMES when someone could step in and help but unfortunately this was not always the case. So that meant no call-ins, no sick days, no nothing! When I was sick and called in, I was met with guilt (for letting down my co-workers knowing what my absence meant for them) and displeasure (from my boss who had no one to fill in for me). Being out was out of the question. It was just not allowed. Even vacation days were threatened to be taken away if they needed you to work. It was come in early, stay late, but don't get overtime. Always be available and never be sick. "Oh, you just hurled your guts out in the bathroom. Sorry, you can't go home because we are already short staffed."
After I had enough, I decided to do whatever I had to in order to get out of that place. If that meant moving to MD, then I would go. If my boss's response to me coming in late and leaving early due to being sick is not enough reason for us to move, I do not know what is. I got a job with the only downside being it was in MD. After 6 months, the only downside is its too far from family, friends, and Monterey. I would have never received that response from my previous job. Since I left, things at my old job have gotten worse and more people are leaving/left. It really makes me appreciate my new job and realize how good I have it. It was a hard decision to make but I now have more than enough reasons to back it up.