#49

Hey, guess what? I had to work another double! I am absolutely in love with gainful employment. Satisfaction and thrills abound.

Okay, so really, I am--I didn't have anything better to do today, except for read and write, and in order to read, write, and maintain my body so I can continue to read and write, I must work. I've worked a mighty scroll of shitty hours, and I've worked a respectable quantity of great hours and hours somewhere in between, and I've gotten to where what used to be a shitty hour is perfectly fine (this difference is entirely mental) but no matter how good you get at keeping your energy up and your core self centered in focus, working a double because someone called off has a particular flavor. The flavor is bullshit, and the duration of a shift provides ample time to savor.

Of course, this is not a criticism of work, is it, really? Nope. Ah, but without other people, there is no work. Indeed, one of life's inescapable fuck yous is that you cannot live it without giving people every opportunity every single day to let you down. And baby, they will take it. Oh, they will seize it like a bright brass ring. Their aim will be true, and their grip sure.

It happens with such regularity, in fact, that I've given up bearing anyone any ill will over such things. I have come to accept that there are people who come into work regularly, and on time. Other people will choose different ways. The former will pick up the latter's slack. Someday the sun will swallow this lifeless planet, in grim repayment for all the life it once rained down. 


--JL