The alarm goes off at 5 am rousing him from dreams of being independently wealthy and lounging on white sand beaches with a cold drink in his hand as Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” plays in the background. The reality of another day of work sets in as he pulls himself from the bed and stumbles towards the bathroom for a shower.
He lets the hot water wash away the last of the tiredness and body aches as he talks with God about keeping his loved ones safe and cancer counts decreasing. Washed and teeth brushed, he turns the water off, towels off and steps to the sink to shave. Wiping away the fog from the mirror, a face he doesn’t recognize appears. The face looks old and beat, wrinkles and crow’s feet dim the once bright eyes. Shocks of white whiskers are prominently displayed in his beard. He just shakes his head as he thinks he has grown old before his time.
He heads back to bedroom and dresses for the day. Dressed and ready to go he leans over the bed and kisses his sleepy eyed wife goodbye. He walks to his daughter’s room but doesn’t enter for fear of waking her and having her up too early, so he listens outside the door for the steady pattern of her breathing. Content with the safety of his girls, he grabs his lunch and hits the door.
In the blink of an eye he is at work. Although the drive takes 25 minutes, he has driven that drive so many times that it just all dazes out until he is pulling into his spot. He is one of the first people through the doors, so it’s quiet. This is his favorite time of the work day, there is no one around to interrupt him or bother him. It’s just him and his work. He plows through as much as he possibly can in silence until his co-workers start to arrive. The rest of the workday is a blur, meetings and work assignments are the main course for the day. He finds himself being the sounding wall for a large number of his co-workers. They come in for casual conversation which leads to how much work they have on their plate and how stressed they are. How they never have enough time to finish one thing before something else is asked of them and how they work so much harder than most but receive little recognition for that fact. He sits listening and occasionally nodding his head in agreement thinking to himself if they spent as much energy on their work as they did bitching about their work they would have it done with plenty of time to spare. Once they are content with venting their frustrations they leave to look for the next sympathetic ear to repeat their story to.
While they are complaining he keeps his head down and mouth shut to get everything done. While they piss and moan about how much they have to do, he is asking for more responsibility and more work. It isn’t that he is some kind of working class hero or anything special, he just knows that he wants and needs to learn more to stay a viable asset. Being a viable asset means longevity in this business which equals stability which equals putting food on the table and making sure his family is provided for.
He doesn’t need the recognition or the accolades that the typical business ass kissers get by riding the backs of their workers. He is happy to toil away under the radar putting in consistently good work and taking on more when he is able. He doesn’t need people to know how hard he works during the day when they perceive that he has it easy, he knows he works hard and that’s all that matters. He is no different than anyone else of the working class. He goes in, does his job, and gets out and as long as that keeps providing for his family he is content.
His day ends and he heads for home anxious to get there to spend the few precious hours before bedtime that he gets during the week with his wife and daughter. The ride shakes off any leftover stress from the day and his mind turns work off so that when his wife asks him at dinner about his day he can barely remember anything of note from work. He prefers to spend his off time thinking about what matters in his life, not worrying or stressing about workplace fears and drama.
The night ends with his daughter tucked into her bed and an hour or so of adult television on the couch with his wife. He finally heads to bed and falls asleep quickly, content with this world and his place in it. He is ready to face the next day and everything it brings.
Life is good.
He lets the hot water wash away the last of the tiredness and body aches as he talks with God about keeping his loved ones safe and cancer counts decreasing. Washed and teeth brushed, he turns the water off, towels off and steps to the sink to shave. Wiping away the fog from the mirror, a face he doesn’t recognize appears. The face looks old and beat, wrinkles and crow’s feet dim the once bright eyes. Shocks of white whiskers are prominently displayed in his beard. He just shakes his head as he thinks he has grown old before his time.
He heads back to bedroom and dresses for the day. Dressed and ready to go he leans over the bed and kisses his sleepy eyed wife goodbye. He walks to his daughter’s room but doesn’t enter for fear of waking her and having her up too early, so he listens outside the door for the steady pattern of her breathing. Content with the safety of his girls, he grabs his lunch and hits the door.
In the blink of an eye he is at work. Although the drive takes 25 minutes, he has driven that drive so many times that it just all dazes out until he is pulling into his spot. He is one of the first people through the doors, so it’s quiet. This is his favorite time of the work day, there is no one around to interrupt him or bother him. It’s just him and his work. He plows through as much as he possibly can in silence until his co-workers start to arrive. The rest of the workday is a blur, meetings and work assignments are the main course for the day. He finds himself being the sounding wall for a large number of his co-workers. They come in for casual conversation which leads to how much work they have on their plate and how stressed they are. How they never have enough time to finish one thing before something else is asked of them and how they work so much harder than most but receive little recognition for that fact. He sits listening and occasionally nodding his head in agreement thinking to himself if they spent as much energy on their work as they did bitching about their work they would have it done with plenty of time to spare. Once they are content with venting their frustrations they leave to look for the next sympathetic ear to repeat their story to.
While they are complaining he keeps his head down and mouth shut to get everything done. While they piss and moan about how much they have to do, he is asking for more responsibility and more work. It isn’t that he is some kind of working class hero or anything special, he just knows that he wants and needs to learn more to stay a viable asset. Being a viable asset means longevity in this business which equals stability which equals putting food on the table and making sure his family is provided for.
He doesn’t need the recognition or the accolades that the typical business ass kissers get by riding the backs of their workers. He is happy to toil away under the radar putting in consistently good work and taking on more when he is able. He doesn’t need people to know how hard he works during the day when they perceive that he has it easy, he knows he works hard and that’s all that matters. He is no different than anyone else of the working class. He goes in, does his job, and gets out and as long as that keeps providing for his family he is content.
His day ends and he heads for home anxious to get there to spend the few precious hours before bedtime that he gets during the week with his wife and daughter. The ride shakes off any leftover stress from the day and his mind turns work off so that when his wife asks him at dinner about his day he can barely remember anything of note from work. He prefers to spend his off time thinking about what matters in his life, not worrying or stressing about workplace fears and drama.
The night ends with his daughter tucked into her bed and an hour or so of adult television on the couch with his wife. He finally heads to bed and falls asleep quickly, content with this world and his place in it. He is ready to face the next day and everything it brings.
Life is good.
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