Barnyard Sabbatical

Holy Moquination! I got to thinking about the topic of career advancement and the Race to the Top the other night whilst talking to mi amigo Ken M. If you think I’m WHACKED, well, meet Ken. However, a truer and more insightful person you’re not likely to meet too soon.

When asked why I wasn’t a GS-15 yet, the express train question that often seems to rip through conversations with old friends, I smile ruefully to myself. I then explain all that glitters surely/obviously/definitely is not gold (no, not in those terms), and tell them I’m the Peter Principle Incarnate! He who can do much techie stuff, a bit of thoughtful analysis here and there, and certainly am drawn to the bright bulb of creativity. Management, in the Federal govvie sense, doesn’t allow much time for these strengths and supervisory duties aren’t rewarded in any many ways interesting to me. But I so respect people who made that leap into the nurturing of our careers, development plans and aspirations. They deserve thanks, so y’all get on that today, will you?

Regular working hours are also a binnie, eh? Maybe not for all of you – it might bore the heck out of some folks. I make up for it with the volunteer work I can do leisurely or sometimes just squeeze in. I guess that’s bittersweet yet fulfilling part of the daily tedium, but man, I’m so happy to have a job; are you also happy too (Arkansawyer, it’s rude to LOL at work!)?

Hmm, would you rather get up in the morning and deal with the barn, feed the animals and take a walk? Not a bad idea and I wish we all could take barnyard sabbaticals each year. Bet we’d be fresher at work! Though I doubt all of you would revel in farm life, I bet there’s some diversion you could find for a month. Here’s another something that just came to me. The same home clarion in my head rang, the raison d’être I preserver through my daily rounds in DC’dom:

When you tire of

All the bright light

Pace that’s killing

And you’re willing

To stay home at night

Look for me, I’ll be around.

‘I’ll be around’

Neko Case