What would your life look like if you absolutely loved your job? Do you know what it looks like when someone is passionate about going to work every day? I want to share a story that inspires me every day about a young woman who loves her job and shares that joy with everyone she knows.

Twenty-seven years ago my youngest daughter, Lindsey, was born. When she was two and a half she was diagnosed with an Intellectual Developmental Disability. The prognoses was not a good one for her future. That news pushed me to help Lindsey purse a life filled with the people, places, and activities that would help her achieve her full potential. Lindsey started in life challenged with mobility issues, fine motor skill deficits, a lack of speech, and executive functioning limitations. Today, at first glance, you’d be surprised to know the extent of her difficulties.

While she still struggles, she does not let those hardships stop her from pursuing her goals. This girl is persistent. One of her goals has always been to have a job.

Getting a job may sound simple enough, but you take for granted the simple executive functioning processes that happen automatically to get you through your day. The list is long of things you do each day, from personal grooming to selecting the appropriate clothing for the weather and type of work you are doing, and being able to put the clothes on without assistance, to meal preparation. Then there are additional things like specific job skills and transportation to consider as well. The odds are stacked against people like Lindsey when they are trying to find a job.

There are years of history that bring us to the story I’m telling today, but I do not want this post to be about that part of the narration. Today, I want you to see the pure joy of having meaningful work and feeling like you are valued and contributing to your community.

Last year Lindsey was hired for a part-time summer position at a local daycare to help walk the children from the carpool lane to their classrooms. She loved being a part of that environment. She knew every child’s name and their parents. She was very sad when at the end of the summer the position was no longer needed.

Lindsey decided at the beginning of this year that she wanted to work at a local McDonalds Restaurant. I will be honest. This scared me. I happen to have a background in food services, and I know the kitchen can be a dangerous place and patrons are not always friendly. It took months of her asking me and my trying to find another option before I finally decided to see what would happen if she applied.

I took her to pick up an application one afternoon at McDonald’s. Before I could blink she had filled out the job application, delivered it to the restaurant, and the manager scheduled an interview. Lindsey asked one of her vocational helpers from her day program to attend the job interview with her and the next thing I knew she was being offered a job. She did all of this while I was out of town. I think she knew I was on the fence so she just did what any typical child would do and worked around the parent!

Here is a side note for all of my readers with special needs kids; Lindsey had a professional job coach through the Ticket To Work Program. Lindsey did all of this work on her own, and when she was hired, she called her job coaches to tell them she needed their help now. The job coaches were never able to arrange a single interview on Lindsey’s behalf.

Lindsey epitomizes the McDonald’s theme song “Ba’Da Ba Ba Bah…I’m Loving It!”. She is happy and loves everything she does on the job. She does things I can’t even imagine with a smile on her face for $7.25 an hour. She cleans up after everyone in the restaurant, in the playroom, and in the bathroom. Learning how to use a mop and mop bucket was very difficult for her, but she persisted, and now she is an old pro.

Her favorite part of the job is delivering food to the tables and talking with the patrons. Recently, Lindsey shared with me that a friend chastised her for working on Sunday instead of going to church. Lindsey said “Mom, I prayed about it and God said that it was ok with him. I get to greet people who are on the way to church and bring them breakfast and people who are coming in after church for lunch.” Lindsey said that those things were important to God too. This girl is amazing.

Lindsey is learning how to bake the cookies and the pies. Yes, she has burned herself a couple of times, and she has burned a couple of batches of cookies too! She is working hard, and she says she wants to have her picture taken and be the employee of the month. She says, “maybe in a few years, she can be a trainer, and she wants to set a good example for new employees.”

She is very excited about the upcoming Halloween Costume Contest at work. She usually is off of work on the day of the week the holiday falls on, but instead of going to a party with her housemates she asked if she could work and be a part of her McDonald’s team on Halloween. She spent weeks deciding on a perfect costume. She is going to be “One Smart Cookie” dressed in a cookie costume with a graduation cap and horn-rimmed glasses. This is an example of her work ethic when other people are asking to have a day off; she wants to go to work.

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment and say thank you to the owner and manager of our local McDonald’s who value hiring individuals with disabilities and are making a place for them in their company culture. Lindsey is not the only special needs employee at this location, and there are several within the multiple locations in this ownership group.

Here are a couple of things I’d like for you to take away from this story:

1. Be kind to the crew at your favorite fast food place. They may not have the same skills as you are lucky enough to have and they are happy to serve you.

2. If you are an employer and you’ve never considered hiring an individual with a disability investigate where they can add to your company. Make inclusiveness a part of your company culture.

3. Stop for a moment and look at your job and find the parts that make you smile. They may be big things or just the fact you have a way to earn money. Uncover those things that light you up inside. Shine a brighter light on those parts and let them expand outward to bring you greater happiness and contentment.

4. If you are looking for a job, don’t limit yourself. Reach for your dream and submit your application. Be persistent.

5. Being a part of a community and feeling valued is essential to all humans. Find your tribe and when you do remember that being inclusive is way cooler than being exclusive.

6.  Almost everything is better with bacon.