When the company owner barged in and abruptly fired me for wearing second-hand clothes, my world imploded. Little did I know, my co-workers were planning an act that would turn everything around and emphasize the true strength of our workplace community.
Never did I think that buying clothes from a thrift store would cost me my job. But life’s full of surprises, especially when you’re a single mother struggling to make ends meet.
It began like any other Tuesday morning. I was at my desk, taking calls and welcoming clients with my usual cheer. The office buzzed with its routine hustle — keys clacking, printers working, and the aroma of fresh coffee in the air.
Kate from HR peeked around the corner. “Hey Claire, how are the kids?”
“Oh, you know,” I chuckled. “Sophie’s engrossed in her science project, and Noah’s set on memorizing every dinosaur name.”
Kate smiled. “Sounds like you have your hands full.”
“Always,” I said. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Just then, the elevator chimed. The doors opened to reveal a familiar face I hadn’t seen in over a year — Victor, the company owner.
Panic surged through me. I quickly stood, smoothing my thrift store blouse. “Good morning, Mr. Harrison! Welcome back!”
Victor’s eyes narrowed at me, his expression hardening. “What are you wearing?”
I glanced at my outfit, puzzled. “I — ”
“Is this how you present yourself to our clients?” he demanded loudly. “In these… these rags?”
The office fell silent, every eye on us.
“Mr. Harrison, I — ”
“No excuses,” he interrupted. “A receptionist’s attire should reflect our brand. You’re terminated. Leave immediately.”
My world spun. “But sir, I’m a single mom. I can’t — ”
“Out!” he shouted. “Now!”
Tears stung as I gathered my belongings. Kate tried to intervene, but Victor silenced her with a glare.
The drive home was a blur. How would I explain this to Sophie and Noah? How would we survive? I unlocked our apartment door, and there they were — my little warriors.
Sophie instantly knew something was wrong. “Mom, what happened?”
I hugged them close, the smell of grape juice and play-doh soothing me. “I lost my job today, sweethearts.”
Noah hugged me tighter. “It’s okay, Mommy. We still love you.”
I stifled a sob. “I love you too, munchkins. So much.”
Farmer finds newborn calf freezing in the snow — and saves his life with a hot tub
Like us, a lot of animals are susceptible to the dangers of cold weather. People going above and above to keep them warm is always heartening, as they are vulnerable to conditions like hypothermia and frostbite.
Similar to the farmer who improvised and saved the life of a freezing young cow by using an incredibly inventive and unexpected approach.
Dean Gangwer raises cattle on his property in Rossville, Indiana. On a frigid morning in 2015, Dean discovered a startling new addition to his property.
That one of his cows had given birth in the middle of the night was unknown to him. Unfortunately, she gave birth to her calf on top of a snowdrift, and now it was freezing.
The calf was breathing furiously, and Dean was fighting to keep his eyes open. He raced the cow to his house in an attempt to save it.
He knew enough about cattle to figure out that the calf needed a hot bath. And Dean happened to have his perfect cow-sized bath, a hot tub, ready to go!
Strange as it may sound, the tactic worked quite well.
I got in fully clothed, held Leroy up to keep him from drowning, and we had a great hour-long bath, Dean stated WRTV. “I think the ending is going to be fantastic for him, and we both came out warm.”
After that soothing jacuzzi session, the farmer wrapped his calf in warm, cozy blankets.
Leroy is the name of the calf. The cow’s body temperature eventually regulated, and he was ready to return to the herd.
The farmer adds that although sharing his hot tub with the cows was a quick and considerate decision that helped save the little cow, it won’t happen frequently.
“Leroy’s hot-tubbing is over,” he announced. “It’s clear that his days in the hot tub are over, but he might still occasionally sunbathe in the grass going forward.”
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