The things I've said in the past

This is the weekend where several things I've said in the past come back to bite me in the ass. I had this co-worker for a while. I don't know the full story and purposefully never tried to figure it all out but I know that it was hard for him to adjust to things or be flexible with changing situations. He also had a hard time reading social cues. It was challenging to work with someone under those circumstances. That said, he wanted to work and I always said "here is a person who is showing up and wants to work and if we can't find a way to include him, then it's our shortcoming, not his."

Those words have come back to bite me today, and they'll make a return appearance next Friday as well. There's a girl I work with at the aquarium in a very similar set of circumstances. Again, I try very hard not to know too much but she also has an easy time learning the routine and things that always need to be done and a hard time adjusting and being flexible when things don't go according to the routine. The problem is that in this job there's enough work for two people and it's just her and I. I feel like I don't have time to teach her the things I need her to do and do the things I need to do.

I remembered my words (even at 6:30am on no sleep) and tried to be patient (always a challenge) and teach her what I needed her to do. It wasn't that bad. She remembered to do much more stuff than I thought she knew how to do which was encouraging. She also has a hard time picking up on social cues which is only challenging because he was 4 adults and 8 kids in this overnight so any social awkwardness is glaringly obvious. But again, that's just me being a perfectionist. (I'm ok with that.)

Next Friday I could get totally frustrated at the situation and wish I was with another one of my co-workers who I really like working with and is fantastic at her job instead of who I was scheduled with. Instead I will see next friday as another chance to help this person learn the job and include her in a meaningful way. (It may be a long night.)