Wednesday's Words for March 3, 2010

I have the best job in the world.

I can say that from my perspective of being solidly ensconced in middle age, and having worked outside the home for most of my nearly 38 years of marriage.

I was never afraid of hard work, nor did I ever shun boring work. I learned early in life how to keep myself interested in even the most mundane tasks by having little contests with myself—and I’ve had some pretty boring jobs, too.

My first experience as an employee was working for a neighbor who sold dew worms. He would use the same flats you could find at any garden supply store, and when the worms were ready and removed from these flats into cartons for sale, it was my job to scrape those flats clean, using a putty knife.

I was ten at the time, and earned two cents a flat.

When I was fourteen, I picked strawberries for a summer—before the days of “pick your own” fruit. If memory serves (and at my age it’s only a 50/50 chance that it does) I earned the principal sum of ten cents for each six quart basket filled. I credit this job with my aversion, beginning just a decade later in life, to “picking my own”. I always sent my husband and children to do that.

At sixteen I had a summer job at the hospital where my mother worked, and there met the side of her she showed the outside world. This turned into quite the revelation for me, and I think that and the fact that I earned the respect of my supervisor did much to improve our relationship.

I stuffed envelopes for the company that offered “insurance” to school kids; worked in a department store credit office; and did a very brief stint in a shoe factory.
Returning to work after my children were in school, I gravitated to office work, and then, more specifically, accounting. I enjoyed that, working with numbers, doing payroll and group benefits and accounts payable.

But I like what I do now best of all.

I relish the freedom of being at home every day. I don’t mind housework overmuch, and I enjoy “multi-tasking” – dishes and dusting interspersed with writing. I love that I can do what I want, when I want. Some days, if I’m tired, I crawl into bed for a nap. I can go shopping, or to lunch, if I want to. I don’t, often, but the freedom of choice is fabulous.

You know how, no matter where you work, or what you do, there’s always that one co-worker who annoys the heck out of you?

I don’t have that problem anymore. And on top of everything else, I get to go to work every day in my jammies!

But the best part of my job by far is the number of people I have met on line, and in person. It’s the emails I receive and the comments I read. I might occupy this space alone each day, but I know that I’m never really alone at all. I have all of you.

Like I said, I have the best job in the world.

Love,
Morgan
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