Working Man

I much prefer working to the alternative.

One of the tenets of my Calvinist upbringing was the importance or value of work. A man's occupation (sorry, women, this is my past) was his reason for living, and it was mine as well. There were, of course, caste levels in the occupations, as there are today, but inherent in Calvinism is the notion that good, honest work itself is of value, and that no occupation should be considered unworthy. I learned that in college, anyway, and it was part of our church community's collective mythology.

My successful corporate career was testament to that; I was a loyal, work-focused, company man. I thrived in that place for many years. I lived its values and was, I believe, a credit to that organization. And when I moved on, I carried that sense of the value of work.

But during those corporate years I also yearned for the day that I could get away from the 40 hour grind. I remember leaving the building some nights, and wishing it was the last time I left that building. I would dream of taking a couple of years off for myself, wishing there was a way to trade a few years in my early 40's for working a couple of years when I'm 65. Turns out, that's what happened. I got my wish.

After leaving that company, I went to a competitor. From there I was downsized. Being out of work for that year, during my initial separation was cruelly hard to take. But, the reality of it was that I was more upset about losing my job than I was about losing my marriage.

I know now, I wanted freedom, not freedom from work.

These days, I'm happy to be working again.

Tomorrow's topic? Burnout.