There are days my job seems to go great and there are others where I feel undermined. Case in point: I had a customer want his money back for a phone card he purchased a month and a half ago, used, had some technical issues, and ended up leaving the phone carrier. He did have technical difficulties, yes, but he's trying to return a (non-refundable) phone card for a service he doesn't use anymore forty-five days after the fact. Hard no from me, but I don't have the authority and he knows it. So, I go looking for the manager I "know" will back me up. Customer finds him first and... the manager gives them their money back.

Annoying, but ultimately out of my control. Not my problem. At least that what people tell me. The reality of my experience is that people will make it my problem. I even have a phrase for it: "Men (and Women) of Convenience and Spite." If I inconvenience people in any way, they go out of their way to spite me. No matter how much I try to avoid catasrophizing the situation, I still see all of the sing-song "Ha! Ha!" smirks on everyone's face when they get what they want, often at my expense. I mean, one of my experiences: I had a boss at a previous who made my life hell. To get back at me for inconveniencing them, management decided to make the boss's boyfriend my direct supervisor. That way, if I dared complain, he would be a necessary part of the process as my new immediate boss.

I like my job. I like problem solving, making recommendations and even the decision making a little bit. I would just rather not have this lingering fear of being . In the proverbial sense, at least.