"I was never congratulated, but that’s okay because every other Thursday, my pay cheque says, 'Good job!'"

Forget what science has taught you about orbit and gravitational pull because money is what really makes the world go round. In a world where everything is either black or white, the only colour that matters is green. Not the green that’s good for the environment or the green that so many people want legalized, but the green that’s good for our wallets.

I recently got a promotion at work, which came with more hours, benefits and pay. Good for me, right? Wrong.

The people with whom I used to associate (they worked on “my side” of the store in my last article) seem to have given me that cold “Why did he get the promotion?” shoulder.

While I’m becoming green with money, they’re growing green with envy – which I understand. I’m the youngest and newest employee there, so I guess it might be a pride thing. For example, when we got our share of the company bonus, I got a little more than everybody else (I don’t know why) and they all complained about the extra $14 dollars like it would have drastically changed their lives.

What I’ve come to realize is that when money comes, everything else goes. My friends and I have a motto for this: MOE. It stands for Money Over Everything and apparently my co-workers believe in the same mentality. Everything is always copacetic until every other Thursday comes around (pay day), or somebody goes on paid vacation, or a company bonus is distributed, or more recently, somebody gets promoted.

It was odd on Sunday night when I found myself working with associates from the “other side” of the store and finally saw things from their perspective. The man from the other side of the store and I worked quickly and efficiently, whereas the two associates from “my side” of the store worked slowly and socialized way too much. Then they took an extended break. I used to go outside with them, but now find myself inside with the “other side” of the store during breaks.

It’s said that some people are afraid to succeed. It’s usually because of the backlash that success, no matter how minor it is, brings. I didn’t think I’d receive any backlash for being promoted. I’m a young university student who needs to pay for school, I deserve this as much as the next person and would give anybody else the congratulations they deserved if it was them instead of me. I was never congratulated, but that’s okay because every other Thursday, my pay cheque says, “Good job!”

On one side, people are green with envy, and on the other hand, I’m getting more green so either way I look at it, the grass is greener on the other side.