I WAS COMPLETELY TRAINED AND CONDITIONED TO WORK AT THE CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILROAD.

 

WHEN I SEE THE YARD AT NIGHT AM NOT REPELLED NOR DISQUIETED, I FEEL A SURGE OF ENERGY, I FEEL READY TO WORK.

WHY WOULD THIS BE ALRIGHT? A LATE AFTERNOON SHIFT JOB WITH LOW PAY.

IT IS THE "DAY JOB" THING, THE WORK YOU DO TO PAY THE RENT AND BUY FOOD IS ESSENTIAL IF YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO PURSUE OTHER GOALS, SUCH AS WRITING, ART AND MUSIC. 

IN ADDITION THERE IS ALWAYS THE FOND HOPE THAT YOU WILL SUCCEED WITH YOUR CREATIVE WORK WHICH YOU ARE MORE EXCITED BY THAN YOU ARE BY THE ``DAY JOB``.

STILL, THERE WAS AN ENJOYMENT OF DOING THE RAILROAD WORK WHICH AFTER ALL WAS REALLY PLAYING TRAINS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I WAS THE YARD FOREMAN DIRECTING THE TRAIN MOVEMENTS.

IT WAS PRETTY WELL CERTAIN THAT IF I DID NOT SUCCEED WITH THE WRITING ART AND MUSIC I WOULD HAVE ENJOYED RUNNING THAT CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILROAD.

AFTER MY FIRST MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH INJURY I WAS OFF WORK FOR EIGHT MONTHS. I RETURNED TO WORK BUT I HAD TO TAKE A WEEK OFF EACH MONTH TO RECUPERATE.

INSTEAD OF CONSIDERING MY RETURN TO WORK BEFORE I COMPLETELY RECOVERED AS ADMIRABLE, I THINK THAT WAS TREATED AS IF I WAS OVERINDULGING MYSELF WITH TIME OFF. 

EVEN WORSE, I HAD A DISABILITY INSURANCE PURCHASED THROUGH THE CANADIAN NATIONAL AND I WAS HATEFULLY DENIED MY BENEFIT WHICH SHOULD HAVE EVEN PAID FOR MY WEEK PER MONTH WHICH I WAS OFF WORK.

WHY WOULD NO ONE HELP ME TO OBTAIN MY BENEFITS? 

I HAD BEEN A CANADIAN NATIONAL EMPLOYEE FOR FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH WHICH LEFT ME STILL STRUGGLING TO RECOVER IN 1970 (by then I had been an employee for seven years) WHEN I WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH AS AN AUTOMOBILE PASSENGER.