This week certainly went by quickly! And... I worked Saturday!
I volunteered. It appeared no one with the Material Handling job title wanted to give up a Saturday for Haribo... So I did. Because I don't really have much else to do on a Saturday. And, I thought it might be a good time to practice the job without dodging robots or Josiah.... ( The other Material Handler... who tends to be a little "bullish" now and then...)
And so I showed up on Saturday for second shift. We only ran one line and it was almost quiet with just the skeleton crew there. Dare I say... Peaceful!
But peaceful work environments means you have time to think... And usually about things that are not entirely "job related." And that can be dangerous.
Or depressing.... because it always seems when I think about the past, I tend to think about the "bad" things that have happened to me. And how I would have done them differently. Or... Not done them at ALL.. (Think of the Cringy moments in your life...) Yep! Those "What the heck was I thinking?!?" moments.
But as I looked over the crew that showed up with me, I saw something. Sure, there were those people who wanted the money. Overtime pay is nice... And will be nicer, now that it is tax free! (Or so I hear) And some, Like Danny or Alex, are working for their families back home.
But then there are those people who do it because they get something else out of the job. A feeling of fulfillment. Perhaps some Gratitude. Some satisfaction for helping out their fellow Haribo Family members with a fairly easy, but time consuming and boring job. On a Saturday! Knowing that we are all working together for a common goal.
Kind of like a Family.
And that can be detrimental in a different way.
You see, I notices that many of the guys who had families at home, would rather stay with those people. Their wives and sons and daughters. And I think that is a good thing. Because you Job will never love you back the way a family does. All you have to look forward to after 30 years of working at the same place is a handshake and a gold watch ( maybe!) The job will not visit you in the retirement home, or go on fishing trips with you.
But to those guys... who do NOT have a family. ( divorced, single, or simply in a bad relationship.) I think it is fair to assume that the only fulfillment they get is from their job. "A job well done!" "Thanks for the help!" "Thanks for coming in on your day off...."
And so it goes. Just how powerful a simple "thank you" can be for these types of men. I'm guessing I fall into this category at the moment. A "Thank You!" can be priceless if you have not heard it from anyone in a while. And even if you HAVE heard it...It's nice to be appreciated.
And so my thoughts go out to all of those men.... Who work to bring home a paycheck for their family day after day. Only to not be appreciated. Or worse! Taken for granted! Or WORSE! Taken advantage of. Like those guys struggling through a custody battle... Or divorce. Work might be their only refuge.
But that is not me... At least at the moment. Those are just the thoughts I tend to think about when the job is easy. And you have time on your hands.. To think about things internally. I think about my Dad... going off to distant states for jobs. Knowing he would be gone for months at a time. And he did it sending his check back home so my brother and I could go to school. And so Mom would not have to work and could maintain the household.
And I think about all of those times Mom would rant about how Dad was terrible.... Partying, Drinking, or fooling around all the time he was gone. With all that complaining, you would think Mom would be happy once Dad cut a break and got to come home for a few weeks.
But she didn't. Instead she constantly yelled at him and complained about him not doing things around the home. (He DID do things around the home... all the time! Just not to Mom's specifications.) And thus, for relief... Dad would accept another job that was out of town. A Place where he could at least make some money and get a "Thank You! For doing what you do!" now and then...
They are both gone now... But the lessons they taught and showed me stuck. And I can't help but think that all has shaped my world view and my actions over the years. Sometimes for good... Sometimes for "not so good." I wonder how things would have been different had I chose to marry a person like my mother..... Instead of selecting the opposite.
All those thought experiments usually only bring back the harsh reality of my current state. Which is not that bad at all! To be honest. I really have no complaints. I'm fed. I'm housed' I have plenty of money. And I get plenty of "Thank yous! For doing what you do." from people. People from the Job. People from Church. Even People from the Clubhouse.
And that is a good feeling. And possibly why I chase those moments... Here in Kenosha. Because every moment is precious. And you have to make ever second count.
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