A friend of mine had an uncomfortable day recently. At least that is the import of a recent post on a popular Internet site. Making a decision to leave a job has ramifications to your economy, health, and emotional state. I completely stand behind my friend in her decision to leave her job. Although I have not had a personal conversation with her nor have I had any other communication other than the Internet site already mentioned, it would be my best guess that this decision was not made without some considered thought prior to her action to leave her job.
Of course that brings to mind the comment that I made to her about leaving her job. I told her that she made the right decision in so many words. I also told her that until I married my wife Ellen I had quit every job that I ever had. Very few of them took a lot of thought when I made the decision to quit. I remember telling one boss from years ago that I would stay until it was not fun any more. Considering that the job was as a hired man on a farm really does place me in a rare bunch. I enjoyed working on a farm. I did not mind the smells, dust, or bugs. I do draw the line on critters but if I left them alone they left me alone. As I look back on it there was a whole lot of work. Physical demanding work. The kind that makes a man of my age cringe as to the energy that it took to do all of the things that were required of me. I still managed to sow a few wild oats and I do not think that I was ever late or quit early because of those wild oats days either.
That brings to mind my thought that the right decision does not necessarily need to be made after considered thought. I spent 18 months working my tail off and had a good time everyday. Sure there were things that I did not like to do. Doesn’t every job have those individual quirks? I went ahead and did them because they needed to be done. One has to make a decision as to what is fun and what is not. That last statement is the way that I judged practically every job that I quit. When it is not fun….Stop!!
I wonder how much different my life would be if I had employed good judgement in my life instead of the fun doctrine? Did good judgement lead me to Alaska after I quit a job in Minnesota? No… I had $1000 dollars, a wife, and my Dad’s car(I left the car in Iowa). So we decided to move l to my sister’s house in Alaska and get a job. I did not have a job..mind you… just that I would get a job(OH, how I love the positiveness of youth). How about the time that I did not take a job. Now that was some good reasoning. A fellow that knew my sister thought that I would be a good candidate as an apprentice plumber. With the idea that after apprenticeship… I would be able to handle the plumber’s retail store while this individual would concentrate more on his mechanical contracts with other building contractors. I remember telling my wife that I did not see myself as the guy that wants to go and clean out someones toilet. It turns out that this plumber became a major mechanical contractor in Southeast Alaska and he wanted me on his team to build his little empire. I turned him down and ended up being a dirt head in building site excavation and road construction. Bouncing on iron in inclement weather for weeks at a time in a construction camp often north of the arctic circle away from friends, home, and family. Yaaa buddy…I sure was having some fun. ?!!!
Now that I have retired from all of that fun I must admit that most everything would have been different in my life had I used good judgement in making those life changing decisions. Sure I could have applied myself in high school and actually learned Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus. I could have beat both Bill Gates and Al Gore in designing a computer and the way of the Internet. But that did not happen. Good judgement or not it is what it is. I certainly have made a lot of mistakes along the way. Those mistakes are the moral fiber of which I support my life as I live it now. Those mistakes got me to this point.
Now don’t go thinking that I am all that…please consider this…had I done all the right things what would be different? Let us look at what wouldn’t be… if I had done all the right things and made good judgements. Well…? I wouldn’t be writing on my blog.(readers, quit applauding!!) I guess I could live with that. Hmmm..let me think…I wouldn’t have a son named Kellen. OK..that it!! I wouldn’t change a thing in my life if it means that I would not have Kellen. That would mean that I would not have Ellen. That would mean…well… it would mean that it would be different. For every bad decision in my life there are a multitude of decisions that were good. I cannot in good conscience conceive the thought of changing all of the blessings from the present because a bad decision made in my past was changed.
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