Musings for a Sunday night/Monday Morning…

Have you ever noticed how much worse the idea of “work” seems after a long weekend? I was sitting in the car on the way home contemplating the pros and cons of taking tomorrow of. I thought about something just before I made the call: If I took tomorrow off, I could see myself easily falling into the pattern of wanting to take time off at the slightest whim. While that does have a very appealing side, the downside – less money on Ye Olde Paycheck – provides a reminder of why staying at work is a good thing.

Something that I fail to understand is the lack of an apparent work ethic in many people in my age bracket (25-35). I will admit that there are those who don’t mind putting their noses to the grindstone to get their piece of the “American Dream,” but I know a few people for whom work seems more like an inconvenience or an annoyance. Is work inconvenient? That depends on your point of view; for me, it is not. Is it an annoyance? If you have read any of my posts that have dealt with my job, I think that you know what my answer is “sometimes.” Actually, let me amend that: Work can be an annoyance, but that is not always the case.

  • I know people who love their jobs. These people do what they like (even LOVE) to do. For them, it isn’t “work” as much as it is “a labor of love;” one day, in the not too distant future, I hope to join them.
  • I also know people who go to work because they “have a job to do.” For the most part, they don’t necessarily like or dislike their jobs, they just do them.
  • There are those who work because they have to. Hand-to-mouth. Paycheck-to-paycheck. Day-to-day.
  • There are the retired. In my opinion, these people have earned the right to do whatever it is that they choose – work part-time, volunteer, travel, whatever.
  • There are those who, due to illness or affliction, are unable to work.
  • I also realize that there are “grey areas” that exist between and within these distinctions.

As I said: I don’t understand the lack of motivation in members of my age group. Some of them seem not to care about whether or not they have a job. This is an alien concept to me. I guess that I am just old-fashioned, but I have grown up with the understanding that work was something that was just another part of life. I was also taught by my parents that while you may not always want to work, you get in there, do your job, and do it the best at that job that you can. Again, this was something that was just “understood.” I don’t know if thinking along these lines places me a little inside or outside of “the norm;” that’s just the way that I’m wired.

  • I am not independently wealthy, so I have to work. I accept that and I have no problem with this.
  • I’m good at what I do – by my own standards and by those of my peers and my superiors.
  • I like my job… for the most part. But, even here, there are aspects of any job that can be loved or hated, depending on the day or the person or the situation.
  • I am blessed and/or lucky to have a job. I know that there are people, in this country and abroad, who would jump at the chance to do jobs that many of us would consider “beneath us.” I am smart enough to realize that I have a rather “cushy” job and that I probably get paid more than I should for it. As much as situations at work may grate on my nerves, I am thankful to not only have a job, but to also be fit enough of body and mind to be able to work.

I am NOT trying to chastise someone for choosing not to work. If you are lucky enough to not have to work, more power to you. If you are unable to work, may you be blessed with the assistance, love and support of family and friends who truly care for you and your well-being. If, however, you have bills to pay and/or a family to support and you are constantly bemoaning how everything seems to be working against you and you don’t have enough money because you either don’t work, won’t work or don’t want to work, please don’t expect me to show sympathy unless you can show valid reasons why you shouldn’t be held to the same standards as most of us.

    NOTE:I actually know someone who falls into this category. This person comes to work a few days a week and then decides, for whatever reasons, to call in or leave early the rest of the week… and then complains about not having the money to do things – and this includes paying bills and making sure that their family has what 99.44% of us would consider necessities.

These are just my opinions and I would be happy to hear others’ thoughts on the matter.

Thanks for listening.

Peace.