let’s go back to 2016…

You may be wondering how I ended up working in an industry that I don’t fully enjoy.

Let's actually go back to 2015.

I was dating a boy at that time; yes, in fact, he was a 21-year-old BOY.

(He was also dating his mom, lol. If you know what I mean.)

At 20 years old, I was working at a prestigious retail store as a sales associate. I was very great at my job!

I loved shoes and people (kinda like... Carrie. Yikes.)

It was the perfect job for me at that time!

Due to the nature of who I am, I got fired at that time.

I've never been afraid to be who I am and stand up to demand respect. I am never afraid to let management know when they're overstepping me or the whole team.

Who knew being a team player meant becoming a boundary enforcer? hehe.

After a shift preparing for the annual sale, we suggested to the new manager that we check which shoes were on display before pulling more from the stockroom to avoid extra work. He disagreed... So there we are, the whole team pulling shoes for display, knowing it was a messy bad idea. At the end of the shift, it was almost 11 p.m. if I recall.

Once the disaster had happened, he demanded for us to put back all the shoes that we did not need back in their respective boxes... mind you it was 11pm ... He had also scheduled us to work back at 8 in the next morning... We lived way far across town. Most of us resided in the Buford/Lawrenceville area.

For security reasons, I'll just say we worked in Lenox, Phipps Plaza.

Everyone was hesitant to confront him, yet the thought of having to return potentially over 200 shoes was daunting... the stockroom spanned two floors.

So rightfully, I stood up. He brought the store manager; the store manager, of course, sided with him, and I went off without cursing.

Everyone and their mama decided to leave and take my side.

The next morning, he sat me with HR and let me go. On paper, it was not due to last night incident, but due to my few minutes of being tardy a few times. As he asked me to sign the letter of resignation with a smirk on his face, I got up with my dignity and I said, "You know the reason you're letting me go is not my tardiness; if that's the case, everyone would be fired, I hurt your pride yesterday in front of everyone, and everyone decided to follow me rather than following to your orders." and I left.

Okay... phew.

Simultaneously, my partner at that time, whom we're going to name... Phill, he was going through his own power struggles.

His mother.

His mother and stepfather decided to move to Texas, which I will talk about our relationship later in this blog. He decided to go with them at the last minute, since his stepfather had called the very next day after he decided to stay with me in Georgia, saying that I was not worth nothing compared to his mother, his job as a man was to follow his mother and care for her. Apparently, she was devastated that her son decided to start his life here with me.

I call it mamitis, or emotional manupulation.

So there he went and followed his true dream woman, and I was devastated.

He decided to bring me over to Texas, so of course dumb, naive, young Yarly left Ga.

At that time I thought it was the right thing to do. I was in love; he was my first real relationship, and he was my first in everything.

Things did not turn out how I thought they would. Six months in, it was Christmas time, and his stepfather and I had a very, very unfortunate encounter, and there it was.

my word vs his.

It was a very tense and very dark moment in my life. I decided to come home after his mother called me and my mom a p*ta p*nd*ja, and accused me of fabricating it.

And there I was... again; Facing another power struggle, so I got up, took my dignity, my truth and drove back to GA: home.

Of course, he followed me, but the rest is for another time ;)

From a previous job I had, I made friends with a lady named Pam. I called her to see if she knew about any jobs, and she introduced me to the world of manufacturing.

It was a quick in; they wanted someone willing to work 12 hrs for 6 days a week.

I was still dealing with a lot emotionally. I, of course, did not want to deal with financial burdens, so I applied.

In January of 2016, I was working for a big tractor manufacturing company. I stayed there for almost three years, and ever since then, I've been doing manufacturing labor.

Not once have I felt embarrassed to say what I do for work, but I do feel embarrassed with myself that I perhaps got too comfortable with a secure check, not taking too many responsibilities, and letting years go by not investing in my career. It has left me judging myself how I used to judge those who were in their mid-20s, pushing 30s, still working at a job that was not fulfilling to themselves but just like them, i got stuck in the routine of a decent, secure check weekly.

In conclusion, I believe that everyone has their own journey to follow. We encounter repetitive patterns in various aspects of our lives that we must either complete or learn from to advance to a higher version of ourselves. As I grow closer to and more honest with myself, I've realized that I need to complete a cycle involving authoritative figures and overcome power struggles and dynamics. Through various situations with the same underlying theme, I have learned to balance my relationship with authoritative figures. Ultimately, it was a reflection of my perception of authoritative figures and, more importantly, how I felt in the presence of someone more powerful than myself.

You may be wondering what does this has to do with how I ended up in manufacturing. Well, I believe I needed to face different management styles to prepare me for bigger, more powerful folks.

so basically, that is my Saturn in return;

What is the recurring theme in your life, and how did it manifest during your 20s? What felt so restricted and limited? What is your Saturn in return?

• Thank you for reading, con mucho amor,

  Yarly <3.

FUN FACTS:

• The manager of that well known department store was dismissed for abusing his power and was subsequently sued.

• I have been fired twice.

• Pam was my trainer at an assisted living facility. Initially, I worked as a CNA and later advanced to a Med Tech.

• My Saturn makes an opposition with my sun, in other words: power struggles, feeling limited by rules and tradition, and a restrictive relationship with authoritative figures.

• Every manager or person of leadership that has disrespected me, and acted with bad intentions towards me, have gotten fired. (thank you daddy Saturn)