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Extra work is a mixed blessing. The money is nice, especially when you are facing near-bankruptcy, but to get to the "money" you have to do the "work". The Wifey puts in 16-18 hours a day teaching second grade and doing lesson plans and non-classroom teacher stuff for her fixed salary that probably will come to about 6.00/hr. at the end of the semester. She's a trooper and earns every penny of her wages. I hope she makes it to the end of the semester.
Me, I put in a very honest eight (and a half, I work through lunch) at my school for my fixed salary and I leave. I'll stay late and take care of education emergencies or critical paperwork, but for the most part I rarely leave my work cell phone on or check my work email after I leave the office. Instead, I go to my "phone booth home" and change into my Superman jeans and T-shirt and do construction for a few hours after work and on weekends. At pushing 60 it is harder than delivering pizza or working at McDonald's graveyard shift but it pays better.
There's very little energy left at the end of the day for all the stuff I'd rather be doing. Just sitting down and staring at the wall is a luxury. But there is food on the table, the lights (and internet) are on and we're actually paying off creditors instead of avoiding them. This about sums it up: I got all the ****ing work I need.
Thank God.
H/T Och
...and my hero from 1959, Maynard G. Krebs (yes, that is Gilligan) on "work".
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10 comments:
As someone who remembers when you didn't have all the ****ing work you needed, I say good on ya, mate! Just try not to overdo the beer and Advil afterward...
HA! I get it. While not in exactly the same place as you, the last 8 months have been a wild ride for me. The week I got married, my writing work just about fell off the cliff, leaving me on the negative side of zero (great honeymoon, and an even better way to start a marriage!)...and left me scrambling for something. Anything. I applied for everything from being a dog walker to a teacher to more writing gigs. In the end, I'm now a writer, editor, church janitor, and spreadable cheese salesman (did hummus for a while, but there's just more money per hour in cheese, and my back doesn't hurt as much at the end of the day).
I tried to quit the cheese and janitorial when the writing picked up a bit. Turns out, that was too soon. So now I'm back to scrubbing toilets and slanging cheese...and I've got all the ****ing work I need!
Hang in there. You're an inspiration...you and your aches and pains!
oi mate. preach it!
Thank you for this post! It is such an encouragement!!! I pray God continues to bless your efforts!
I left work yesterday and just drove out of town for an extended weekend. I left that exact song playing on my computer for my coworkers when I left. Dan Reeder's a great musician. I hope you're able to rest soon, if only for a short time.
You have a strange and wonderful way of preaching the gospel. I love it. It speaks to me.
You remind me of St.Paul: you both sacrifice all for the sake of spreading His word. The only difference is that he got stoned and you get Advil-ed.
JD, that is awesome! I don't think I could leave that at MY office... there's too many "Christians". :)
Funny thing about having a longer perspective on the past: no matter how much I was making, I was "just getting by".... Hm.
Isn't that all we ever do, Steve? Get by?
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for the day that the song which is linked below is relevant to my life...
http://grooveshark.com/s/It+Feels+So+Good/2EUew1?src=5
Dude, there's a lot of us who can relate. I'm an educator- who is writing curriculum and working the after-school program, since my husband's disability is about just over 1/2 of what he used to make. But it's amazing - God will always provide what you need on a daily basis (I've discovered it's like manna- never more than you need- but just enough to see you through). But man- you sure have to put it your end of the deal. And yeah- it's not easy. Hang in there. There's a lot of us out there with you- and praying along with you.
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