The Diary Game: When Work Finally Felt Like Freedom

It was one of those workdays that surprisingly felt different. We worked, but we also had enough time to breathe, relax and enjoy ourselves. Compared with those days when we worked from 6am until 7pm, today felt almost like freedom.

When I first started this job, the schedule was one of the things that scared me the most. I remember wanting to run back because the workload and long hours were really tough. Starting work early without even having food or enough water before getting into the day's tasks was not easy. But with time, I've learned to adapt.

Welcome to another episode of my diary. I'm yours truly, @dotman777.

It rained heavily throughout the night and continued until morning. Because of the nonstop rain, I honestly thought we wouldn't be going to the site today. I was already thinking about the possibility of staying back, but surprisingly, the rain stopped before 6am as if someone had switched it off.

I was actually happy because, as much as I might enjoy a day off, missing work also means having my salary reduced. That's one of the realities of working for a construction company where your attendance affects your pay.

I got dressed and headed to the yard. On my way, I met some other members of staff who were also heading to work.

I arrived at the yard earlier than I expected, probably because I didn't have to prepare food that morning. After signing in, I charged my power bank and headed towards the vehicle that would take us to the construction site.

Before we left, some workers were called for a meeting led by one of the chairmanship aspirants. He spoke about his manifesto and asked for the support of workers ahead of the upcoming executive election in the yard. After the meeting, everyone got into the vehicle and we headed to the site.

When we arrived, we went straight to work. We had cement, stone dust and hand trowels with us because our main task for the day was to continue building benchmarks.

For anyone who isn't familiar with construction work, these benchmarks serve as important control points that help guide work on a project. We searched for suitable locations where we could mix the cement, sand, stone dust and water.

There were four remaining chainages that needed to be completed. We mixed the materials ourselves and started casting. I was responsible for digging the actual spots where the benchmarks would be cast.

It took us about two hours to complete the benchmark construction. After that, there were some areas that needed to be cut and cleared so we could advance with the work. We also pegged and tied caution tape around certain areas to warn people that something important had been constructed there and should not be disturbed.

Our vehicle moved around with us on the site, which made transporting materials and moving from one point to another much easier. After completing our daily task, something unusual happened—we actually had time to relax.

This was probably my favourite part of the day. I had the opportunity to recharge my phone and power bank, sit down and even take a short nap. After some of the long days I've experienced at work, having a moment like this felt really good.

I waited until the end of the working hours before we called the driver to come and pick us up. He eventually arrived and we headed back to the yard.

The weather had become cold and cloudy by then. I collected my power bank, prepared to head home and finally called it a day.

Looking back, it wasn't a spectacular day, but it was a good one. Sometimes, after experiencing extremely demanding days, having a normal workday where you can finish your tasks and still have time to breathe feels like a form of freedom. That was how my day went. Thank you so much for reading.