Now that I am back to work it took all of one commute to get out of the Lovey Dovey New Dad Second-Time-Over phase and back to the cynical wanker I’ve always been.  I must say that it was a fine 6 days off and I didn’t miss work even though this job is hands down my most enjoyable one I’ve had yet. When I got to thinking about it, I think 6 straight work days off is my longest time off from work since my wedding/honeymoon.  Since that was in 1998, it’s been far too long to not have a break like that.

It gets me to thinking again about how good it is mentally to have extended siestas.  Sure, we kick ass as a country because of our work ethic, but I think there’s something to be said about Europe’s work ethic too which includes at least a month, usually two, of vacation.  I never understood people who forfeited their vacation time all in the name of what they think is being a “good employee”.  To me, a good employee is one who is mentally refreshed, not burnt out, and also doesn’t live solely for his or her job.  There’s nothing wrong with being a worldbeater and working 100 hour weeks to get to the top of that mountain – it’s just that I’m not one of those willing to do that.  I live a comfortable existence and I still get to see my kids and to me that trumps all.

This then gets back to the ages-old quest of finding a job that makes one happy.  Do I live for the I.T. world and am passionate about it?  Well, I’m passionate about doing my job well and exceeding expectations.  Am I married to this profession?  Absolutely not, but I also realize that what I do sure as heck beats the daylights out of other jobs that pay a heckuva lot less.  Would I ever compromise my principles to take a job?  Absolutely not although I can’t say I’d say no to much if it meant choosing between that job or having my family starve.  Ironically, the company I turned down for moral reasons last year now has relocated to the building I work at now!

So what would make James content?  Did I just refer to myself in the third person and I’m not a pro athlete at a press conference?  Damn.  Well, let’s air out the dream and see where it sticks 10-20 years from now.  While I’m glad to not have had to do what most Marketing majors coming out of college with a B average – some shit job selling insurance to friends and family or arranging Proctor & Gamble products at grocery stores across the Midwest or servicing elevators – I am very thankful I got into the world of internet testing.  Is it what I want to do forever?  Of course not.  If I’m allowed to dream for one minute, you would see my brain conjuring up someone who is a brewer at a local microbrewery by day and in the winter working the penalty box job at night for the local pro hockey team.  My income would be supplemented by being a freelance writer and I would draw my inspiration from looking out my house at the lake my property in on somewhere in New England.  I’ve never put that to paper before and when I read this paragraph, it seems like a wonderful existence.

Of course there is a side effect.  If I truly become content, does that mean I’ve lost the will to attain more?  Does a Happy James mean his writing dries up?  I’d like to think not.  Believe it or not, I’m happy now but still have dreams and goals I’d like to attain in terms of jobs and living location, all while providing the absolute best environment for my 3 ladies.  In the meantime,  I can reflect now that we’re on a pretty good track and thank my lucky stars every day that I’ve escaped my Detroit childhood and am creating a new life with my wife and daughters that has a hell of a lot more sunlight to the story than it did when I was 10.

With all that being said, I'm still not "zen enough" to not flip off any assclown in traffic who almost causes me to be in an accident.