Soy milk dumper- watching the people I work with be humbled, as well as me. I get the feeling that there were a lot of people that were established in a job, working their way up. Having the security for their families and themselves, and that is stripped away and they are dumping out soy milk into a big tub that will be pumped back out and refigured to taste better. As we watch the milk being sucked out of the bottom to fill a giant container I couldn’t help but feel like there was symbolism to my own life in watching the milk like my dreams being sucked out cause they were not right for the times we live in. my dreams would have to wait to be put on the shelf for many to see.

As break came around we all headed to the lunch room some of us to wait, some to eat and some to take a minute for their guilty habits of pleasure and stepped outside. As the 15 minutes came to a close we headed back to the cold room heated by a propane heater that hung above. To start again switching our jobs to “break up the monotony” one of the gentlemen had stated. We sat there tearing down boxes to be dumped out working fast as we disappeared into our own thoughts as we were stopped for another break. We sat around a green lunch table wondering why only after an hour of being back from the last break we had been stopped what was wrong. Will we go back? I looked around the table and the room at my fellow co workers of the night as we laughed and talked about whatever we could some conversations superficial while others were deep and interesting.

There were two quiet gentlemen, they smiled didn’t say much unless they needed to and held their heads proud and their eyes saddened by what their life has come to. A mother who worked in a factory before separated from her fiancé by miles, keeping her head up and laughing about the work being done. A father, a cultured man with a heart of gold, and eyes of a loving, accepting, and knowledgeable soul, who moved with his family to be close to his wife’s parents and fighting to find jobs. A cocky 18 year old boy who is fresh out of the house and parents wing, gaining his wings for the first time, watching the scene with a know it all attitude, and a problem with entitlement for jobs handed to him. These people were all thrown into a small room dumping out bad milk to try and make a few bucks so that they could have Christmas and make a living. And this is our nation and what it has become. I see hard working individuals working for anything they can get and taking it with pride, all knowing that there are many more that have no fear or wonder if they can supply their families with Christmas. While some sit and wonder will it be a thrift store Christmas for my family? Will I have a job tomorrow? Many asked the milk place if there would be work the next day with a tone of hope in their voices. And received their answer of “ I don’t know” or “maybe” that would have to tide us over for the time being as we sat still worried but taking it for all the hope we had in our hearts. When the night was cut short by “bad batches of milk” there was no work for us to do so we were sent home with the thought of 10 hours of work cut to 5 how are we going to live on 30-40 dollars if there is no more work for us? Will it be the same for the rest of the pay period? Hope in our hearts we went home wishing each other well, with familiar greetings of “pleasure to meet you” and climbing into our cars some almost empty as we drove home with our heads held low, in disappointment of how the night turned out, most of us waking early to call again and say that we were available to work bright and early 7:00 am just to have the peace of mind that they know we are ready and willing and waiting for the phone to ring. No phone calls for some of us the next day.