An Ode to a Job
Recently, I've been thinking about my working history. I got my first "real" job (not including my paper route) when I was freshly sixteen. Now I'm at company number twelve and I have no idea what job number.
Looking back at all those moves, I realize that I only truly loved one of those jobs. Despite all the wonderful laughs, colleagues and learning I've experienced in my career, this job stands out as being special.
That job was at a CD retailer -- which, obviously, is now defunct. This place was special because my colleagues were such an amazing collection of loving people. I remember Josh, a fresh clean-cut athletic fellow, with an amazing laugh and smile, describing his taboo admiration of our colleague, who was a tall red-headed, punk, opinionated woman. I remember my crazy managers, and how the shifts changed based on which one was in; One of them truly felt like my loving aunt. I even enjoyed our final goodbye party, which was a karaoke night.
A nice job perk was expanding my taste in music. I started to discuss music with my diverse co-workers. I took more CDs home, thanks to my discount. We also had to play the latest CDs in the store, to promote the music to potential clients.
Two albums really come to mind... I'll share with you two songs:
Good Morning (This was pre-nazi / schizo Kanye, in my defense)
These albums played over and over. Thanks to this audio internment camp, I learned to love them -- even the really bad songs. I hummed / sang along while I organized & dusted the racks of CDs. Their melodies and beats seeped into my reveries. I imagine I even tapped my pencil, during tests, to their rhythm.
Which leads me to present day; It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of my current job. The environment has become quite toxic and it's harder & harder squeeze the juice necessary for lemonade. So I'm looking to explore the topic of career satisfaction with industry peers, friends, and my therapist. I know I'm not alone, as an industry peer wrote about one particular cycle I've experienced. He wrote that article over a decade ago.
While participating in Focusmate sessions tonight, I stumbled upon this book (written by a person I did a session with). I find the concept fascinating so I ordered a copy. I hope to post my review here.
Part of me still wishes I was dusting those racks and vibing to obscure Toronto indie faux-reggae.