I don't mind going to work but......

it's the eight hours you have to wait to go home that's a bitch! 

Working for a living.  We all do it one way or another.  But how many of us really feel appreciated for the work we do?  Whether you work from home, are a full time parent, or are employed outside the home, all of us at one time or another are bound to feel unappreciated. 

I'm going through a bit of that now.  Salaries are frozen at my office, and honestly I'm not sure why!  The folks I work for are not hurting for money.  Honestly I feel they are using it as an excuse.  I work hard, and do a damn good job.  My last performance approval reflected that!  There was not one item on there that was marked "needs improvement"!  Nothing!  What do I get for all my dedication and hard work?  not a damn thing!  Not even an upgraded parking space!

It's very frustrating to feel that the "powers that be" don't see all that you really do day to day to keep things going.  Sometimes I feel my office execs feel that any one of us would be easy to replace.  We are starting to have more turnover than we used to, and it's hard to see where any attempt has been made to retain good employees.  That makes me worry for my job and feel even less appreciated.  I know I'm not totally irreplaceable!  No one is.  But I do think it would put a bit of a hardship on my office if they did have to replace me!  I'd like to think my experience, dedication, honesty, maturity and overall work ethic are worth something!!

Anyway...I've started applying for jobs elsewhere.  I like my job, I really do.  It can be stressful sometimes, but I really do feel like I do a great job.  The people I work with from other offices even tell me so.  Too bad management doesn't see it.  I'm overworked and underpaid for my experience and education and it may be time to find somewhere I am appreciated.

Karma - Do the right thing!

Karma - by Rick Springfield

I drop a stone into the ocean
Every choice another turn of the screw
Another wheel set in motion
With every single thing I do
It's there in the air that I breathe
It's in my whisper and scream
Inside everything I believe
And it's all gonna come around someday

There's a lesson there I try to teach my sons.  Every thing you do effects others.  I recently witnessed the death of someone too young to die, and it was due to the use of drugs.  No, not an overdose, he was careful with how much he used, etc.  But the coke caused a physical problem that led to his death.  Now I'm sure he thought "It's my life and I can do what I want"  That is true.  But I watched his widow cry, his teenage son fall apart in front of the coffin, his mother weep for days.  Everything you do, every choice you make will effect other people in some way.


Maybe the guy you cut off in traffic was on his way home to his kids, and took his frustrations at you out on them.  Maybe he was considering suicide and this was the straw that pushed him over the edge.  You never know what kind of impact the things you do will have.  So try to do the good thing.  Look out for other people, not just yourself.  I'm not saying be a martyr, but think about how what you do will effect someone else.  Take the shopping cart back to the corral, don't park in the handicapped spot if you're not physically handicapped, let a car out in traffic, let the person with one item ahead of you in the check out line.  Believe it or not, you will actually feel better for doing this and you'll be having a positive effect on others.

As the smallest stream runs to a river
And every river runs to the sea
So every little bit of love I give to another
You know that I believe it comes back to me

There is no absolution whether I'm the garden or the rose
If I ain't part of the solution, yeah you know how that goes
You can always leave but you bring it all back home someday

Everything you do will come back to you somehow, someway.  If you live your life selfishly, always take take take, one day you will find yourself alone and you'll wonder why?  If you steal, there's a good chance you will lose something worthwhile too.  Call it Karma, fate, or whatever, I try to live by this belief.  If I find a diamond ring on the ground, I'm going to turn it in because sure as heck if I keep it, I'll end up losing mine!!  You can run, but you can't hide!!  Do the right thing!

Every single thing I say, everyone that I betray
Any love that I take when I do not make it in return
Every thing I do and every time I've been unfaithful too
All the things that I believe are lessons I must learn"

No one is perfect.  We all screw up, we all make mistakes.  But we need to learn from them instead of constantly repeating the same ones over and over.  I seen it written that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!  If we all started trying to see how what we do can effect so much and so many, things would be a lot different.  Try it!  You'll like it!!