“Speed-bump”

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In 1995 and 1996, I worked at Charms Candy Company. A divorced mother of two children at the time, it was the job that came along just when I felt like giving up. I can’t tell you how many interviews I had been through. I worked in the Tool Crib in the maintenance department and I got along great with the other employees there.

The first winter of my employment at Charms was one of the coldest winters we’d had in years. And working third shift, those hours were the coldest. Because we worked a straight 8 hour shift, there were no lunch breaks, only two twenty minutes breaks, during which I’d go sit in my car and listen to music while the heater ran full blast.

On one particular night after the last break of the night, it was so cold that I jumped out of the car and ran full speed across the parking lot, thinking that the faster I ran, the quicker I could get inside where it was warm. I’d see many other workers sprint across the parking lot as well, trying to escape the single-digit temps and freezing winds that would cut right through a person.

Suddenly, the toe of my shoe hit something in the parking lot and I went head over hills. The next thing I knew, I was laid flat on the freezing asphalt with people passing by. It seemed that the entire third shift got to witness my unfortunate spill onto the cold, hard pavement. At first, I could feel my cheeks get warm and my face flush ten shades of red but a few seconds later, the embarrassment subsided and I could only laugh about it.

The other workers were gracious and one of the guys held out his hand for me to take and pulled me to my feet.

And from then on, I was known as Speed-bump. It was all in good fun and I loved my coworkers to death. It’s been said that of people give you a nickname, it means they like you a lot. I have to agree. How I miss those years. The 90’s were great!

The moral of the story is this: When you’re able to make fun of yourself, you show great confidence!

5 thoughts on ““Speed-bump”

  1. Ray Van Horn, Jr. says:

    And the underlying sentiment I take beneath the humor is that we all hit a crossroads and feel like giving up, but it takes our fullest resolve to push forward and find the path toward our own redemption and hopeful inner peace. Great story.

    • cheriewhite says:

      Thank you so much, Ray! 😊🤗 And I couldn’t agree more! If I’d given up, I would’ve missed out on some wonderful friends a d wonderful times at work. It’s things like this that make a job enjoyable.

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