Grounded

In December, I was given the Loyalty Award.  Before I hear canned applause, however, let me qualify that loyalty is relative.  In my case, it means that I have been on the job for ten years.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Come to think of it, the fact that I am able to hold the same job for ten years is a personal victory of sorts.  (Applause, applause) A well-meaning boss once said that I thrive on "impermanency."  That routine bores me and that cubicles have a way of weighing me down. 

Oh well.  People and perspectives do change.  The bureaucracy, which I thought to be one long, endless routine of chasing paper and prolonged coffee breaks, has actually tamed my wandering spirit.  Sure, biometrics can be exasperating and office policies can be a drag.  Uniforms could use a little touching up and some people could use some gray matter.  But there is nothing "routine" about the people that come to the office every day.  Or about their stories.  Or about the friendships that have since translated into standing in as godparents many times over.  I have also realized that the bureaucracy is what you make it.  That if you go to the office day in and day out thinking that work sucks, it will.

The ten years have been a breeze.  Having worked in high-rises and in corporate jungles, I now find myself totally grounded.  And totally loving it.