Take This Job and…

Tonight, I am finishing up my 10th night of a 15 night travel month. I am tired, weary and am missing my Teddy Bear, soft comforters and seven pillows.  Road travel can take a lot out of you at times and this time of the year is a mixed bag of bliss and burden. During the day I can take in the spectacular fall foliage in this Northwestern area of Pennsylvania, but the nights are dark, cold and full of unexpected deer.

Today’s events were both of a spectacular and spectacle nature. The leaves were colorful and the scenic drive through the Allegheny National Forest was especially relaxing and magnificent.Traveling through small towns with throwback General Stores, churches with large steeples and winding nature trails made for a memorable day. Listening to 1980's Punk and 90's Pop brought back a host of recollections from my time in undergrad, graduate school and that first job teaching kids while dodging the tables and chairs students tended to launch at us inexperienced teachers.

However, despite these flying objects we toughed it out and stayed the course.  Even if we thought about walking off the job we would never imagine doing so.  Oh how times have changed. Tonight while packing my car in preparation for my remaining five night stay at yet another hotel, I was greeted by the owner of my current lodging habitat. He seemed a bit exasperated at the fact that his overnight staff just walked off the job.

Incredulous, I asked him if he meant that she just left the job without notice and he replied, “She logged in at 11:00 PM and at 11:30 PM called and told me to she was walking off the job right now.”

Wow, given the current economy and how hard it is to find employment, I can not even imagine someone simply walking off the job for no good reason. But when the proprietor told me that the young woman was not very stable, I guess I was relieved to know that our overnight care would not be in the hands of such an unstable person. 

When I returned with my second carload of materials and clothing, I didn’t notice any wayward furniture or the evidence of a scuffle in the lobby – only the proprietor pacing back and forth waiting for one of his backup employees to return his emergency call for relief. 

As I returned to my room I whispered a quick prayer of thanks that despite the fact that I spent half the month sleeping in beds that are not my own and missing my own digs, I am thankful for employment and the moments of splendor in which I can partake as I go about my duties. It makes me feel appreciative to have a job that pays my bills and offers some gratification in the meantime.