Happy Work

I have had some interesting jobs in my day.  I can safely say they were all out of necessity.  Always being one that felt it was important to support myself and my family, I did try to make sure the next job was always better than the last.  I also lived by, "I was looking for a job when I found this one."  

Some examples...

Pharmacy Clerk - Not my cup of tea.

Restaurant Hostess - Boring. 

Waitresses, be nice to your hostess, she can make or break your night.

Waitress - Customers, you should be nice to your waitress.  I have seen a few things.
 
Convenience Store Clerk - 11:00 to 7:00 shift
Absolutely miserable, and you would not believe what they see when the bars let out.  Only made it one week.
 

Drill Press Operator - Character building

The actual job was mind-numbing, shift work.   The 7:00 to 3:00 shift.  Are you kidding?  The character lesson came from a rule imposed by the manager.  If you were late to work, you were stuck working in the paint shop for the day.  This was even more mind-numbing.  The paint fumes, coupled with the fact that the paint sprayer, operator, dude listened to the same song, every day, over and over again.  What song?  Bad to the Bone.  I am not exaggerating even a little.  The same song.  Over, and over, and over.  I seriously go into convulsions to this day when I here that song.

Pre-Planned Funeral Arrangement Sales - Only lasted two weeks. 

One week of training and one week of sales.  I made my first sale to a man that just found out his wife had cancer.  He was extremely grateful, and glad for the help I provided in making those arrangements for them, but it was sad.  Then, they celebrated back at the office when I shared the news.  It made me depressed.  How do you celebrate that?  I resigned the same day.

Manager - Braum's Ice Cream - Where do I start?

If you have a problem with Ice cream consumption, I recommend working there.  It will solve your problem.  You will develop a deep dislike for ice cream and little league baseball.  I was also required to wear white.  It still makes me laugh.  The shake machine and I had a regular disagreement, and it was not unusual for me to come home several different colors.  Not to mention that managing teenage kids is exactly what you would expect it to be.

I know you are having fun, but I think we will stop here.  I feel like you have a little more insight into my weirdness.  So, it is easy to see why most of what I do these days is Happy Work.  What do I mean by that?  I really enjoy my life.  There are a few things that aren't really great to do, but in the grand scheme of things, the worst task on the list is better than anything else I have ever done.  After I grew up a little and survived the list above, I spent my fair share of time in the corporate world.  In my opinion, mucking out a stall full of manure is a lot more fun than the day-to-day B.S of corporate politics.

I owe all of the credit for this life I am living to two very important people.  First, Jesus, He is more than I deserve.  Second, the Man in Charge, for building a life that allows me to be here.  I should spend more time thanking both of them.  I hope they know how grateful I am that they are both very understanding with me?

I am not the only one that is happy about going to work.  Look at this face.

This dog is an old girl.  She is Eight.  Does she know that?  See that ear that is bent over?  It has been that way her whole life.  She never holds it up unless she is facing into the wind, and even then, she can't take the credit for the upright position.  We gave her an Indian name once...Dog of the Broken Ear.  She also has a serious affliction.  We refer to it as H.H.S.- Heavy Head Syndrome.  She is famous for standing up, but resting her chin on the seat of the dining room chair.  It looks very strange, but it is what she does when she is waiting.  Waiting for what?  To go to work. 

She has a serious cat addiction, but we try not to talk about it.  Although, in her mind, this is her primary job. 

Where is the cat? 
What has he eaten? 
Is he in the house again? 
How fast can he run? 
Does he know that I just want to lick him? 
I may possibly want to eat him, but I definitely want to lick him.
Have you seen him?
Which way did he go?

She has been known to chase a chicken or two, but only if they are on her side of the fence.  She tried chasing a horse once, but just as the Man in Charge yelled for her to lay down, our mare kicked her square in the jaw.  I was not home, but by the time I got back she had a nice baseball size lump on her chin.  She let me ice it down, and looked at me intently as the story was relayed to me.  The Man in Charge thought he had gotten her killed.  She was out cold by the time he got to her, but she came back around.  She just kept looking back and forth between us as he told the story.  Looking at him like, "He did this to me." To this day, if he says, "Down!"  She drops.

Her real job is to hang out and keep an eye on things.  She likes to sit in the back of the truck if you are working around the barns.  She stays put, but she watches everything.  She helped me and my Full-Timer dispose of a nest of mice that had taken up residence in our tack trunk once.  That is a whole other story in it's self.  Mostly, she likes to position herself in the yard where she can see front and back.  She will lay there while I do whatever I need to do.  You don't have to worry about a thing.  She has your back the whole time. 

It doesn't matter if you are just going out to work, or if you have just come in from work, her face looks the same.  More to come on her, and on what we have been doing.  As a side-note,

Hey Paint Sprayer, Operator Dude,

Are you out there?
Do you have any brain cells left? 
You crazy, paint huffer. 
Working with you was torture, and you knew it, and you enjoyed it.

I feel better now.