Dear Dr. Babooner,
Yesterday was a national holiday and tomorrow, it’s the weekend.
The holiday was all about celebrating our independence, and the weekend is all about having unstructured time to pursue our interests. Yet today is a day when I’m supposed to work. I’m known around the office as a hopeless drudge – someone who always shows up for work and rarely complains about it. But right now I feel like I’m caught in an obligation sandwich with freedom on both sides and this stupid job commitment as the un-tasty center.
I could go to work anyway but I’m concerned that to do so would disrupt the freedom theme that was established yesterday. It might even be a betrayal of our national ideals – a crime worthy of harsh punishment. Our Uncle Sam wants us to feel as free as possible, as long as we don’t use that liberty to release sensitive information or communicate with unsavory characters overseas. Then we might find ourselves stuck in a Russian airport … forever. Which would be much worse than having to go to work.
Anyway, it’s not too late for me to change my plans. Very few people are going to be in the office, so I have some options.
- Option 1: I could take the day off and call it comp time or a flat out vacation day. If I did that I’m sure I’d feel liberated and relaxed for the entire weekend.
- Option 2: I could go to work but leave after a few hours to attend a “meeting” (on a golf course) and claim on my time sheet that I worked the entire day. No one will be the wiser, unless Uncle Sam is reading this letter, which I doubt, because who has time? He’s only one guy! And if I did that, I’d feel free AND clever AND devious, which is the same as normal freedom, but with an excitement boost because I’m sneaking around in order to get it.
- Option 3: I could report for work as planned and stay the entire day. Very few people are going to be in the office tomorrow so I could get a lot of stuff done. And getting a lot of stuff done would help me feel a sense of freedom from all the other work obligations that have piled up over the weeks and months.
So I guess no matter which path I choose I’ll feel some sort of liberation. The question is – which one would make me happiest?
Freely,
Hopeless Drudge
I told Hopeless to take a hard look inside at his motivations and values, and to be prepared to accept that the most liberating option might actually be number three. Anyone who signs a letter “Hopeless Drudge” is probably the sort of person who simply loves to work, in which case option one would be a letdown and option two would appear to be freeing but would actually create an internal prison of disappointment and guilt.
Option three, however, would be a stress-reducer and would go a long way towards reducing clutter on the desktop, which releases endorphins and brings on feelings of exuberance. For Drudges, anyway.
But that’s just one opinion. What do YOU think, Dr. Babooner?
Trail Baboon 
Dear HD,
Sounds to me like you may need a small change of perspective.
Instead of comparing yourself to your co-workers, try comparing yourself to those thousands of your fellow citizens who have far fewer freedoms than you do.
Thousands of your fellow citizens get no paid vacation or comp time whatsoever.
Still more don’t have the remotest possibility of going to a “meeting” on the golf course and claiming on their time sheet.
Their choices run more along the lines of “do I want to get paid or don’t I?” maybe even “do I want to continue to be employed or don’t I?”. Then there are those whose choices run along the lines of “what more could I possibly be doing to get enough employment at a living wage?”
I get the feeling you take a bit of pride in your role as “Hopeless Drudge” condemned to continually showing up for work. Try a small dollop of gratitude and see if that helps you with your decision-making.
Many of your fellow Americans don’t get vacation time or comp time, so they don’t have option one available to them.
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thanks mig. sometines we forget that the ability to work is sometimes what the thankfulness should be for. my son in law is gamefully employed in the construction industry and he is doing well because he really really appreciates the chance to work and to get paid for doing something. he started off putting in docks and now is installing windows and hopes to be a good enough worker to get called back. he really works hard and because of their money situation he has a second job that loves him because he works so hard at that one too, he sometimes is too tired to put in that extra 20 hours on top of his 40 in construction but for the most part is just happy to be able to have a place to go for the day to feel worthwhile.a year arriving in the country and being told that you need to wait for your green card and getting to play video gamesand watch american tv would do that to a person.
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Well said, mig. Hopeless Drudge should not work himself into a whining mood by comparing himself to workers he thinks have a better deal. It might improve his mood to think of all the folks who desperately want a job–almost ANY job–and cannot find one.
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I like what you said, MIG. “Try a small dollop of gratitude…”
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i think the first two choices are typical and if you are looking for permission i am sure you can find it just about everywhere, the masses are all about the minimum. if you have any interest in self fulfillment or satisfaction ttry niumber 3 and see how it gos. it may end up being the most satisfaction you get this week. sometimes its knowing deep down that you are right that is the most satisfying.
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HD, your Option 2 puzzles me. Why does it contain the deceit of a “meeting,” when in reality you’re taking time off? Seems to me that a reasonable compromise would be working half the day, clearing some of that work off your desk, and then taking the remainder of the day off to go play with a good conscience. No sneaking around involved, no guilt necessary. I’m willing to bet you’re the guy who at the end of each year has unused vacation and comp time, so this compulsion to not use it is a bit strange.
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I’m not a doctor, but could probably do a convincing job of playing one on tv.
I’m getting a nasty whiff of presenteeism from HD. I can hear it now, “I have 20 weeks of vacation time, and I’ve never called in sick either…..” please HD, give your co-workers a break and take a vacation. Surely there are some household projects you could be tending to.
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Good morning. HD, I think it might be good if you took the day off. You might need a break from your job that seems to be keeping you very busy. An extra day off might be just what you need to return to your work a with a better perspective and renewed energy. You should take the first option so that you would truly have a day off without any time spent at the office. This is coming from someone who doesn’t plan to take the day off from getting his house ready to sell. I should follow my own advice.
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whats the timetable jim?
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I am trying to get the things done that need the most attention within the next month or two so that the house can go on the market. We plan to move at the end of October or early November.
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Keep us informed, Jim. I have a habit of showing up at moving sites with a crockpot of Slopy Joes.
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That would be SloPPy Joes
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Would Slopy Joes be like sliders?
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my dad called them untidy josephs
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Maybe you have to use uneven buns.
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That sounds good, Jacque.
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Yes, this might be the local babooners’ next project – moving day!
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Well, HD, I think it depends a bit on what you would do with your day off – the “meat” of your Freedom Sandwich. If you have a clear desire that would bring you great joy; or a clear plan, completion of which would bring you great satisfaction – that might be worth taking as a holiday. If not, it sounds as if you would get more satisfaction from getting something completed at work.
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Pastrami with spicy mustard on my sandwich please. And dark rye, no caraway seeds.
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Today I am off and husband is going to work. He has lots of paperwork to do and will feel much better on Monday being more caught up. I am caught up and need time off. I don’t think there will be many people at our workplace today. Daughter and I are going to Bismarck for her last violin lesson with her current teacher before she starts college in August.
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that’l be a good one. the last lesson with a teacher of years brings a lump to the throat and is turning such a page it feels like a lifes moment to be remembered. savor it
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Those two rascals arranged to have another lesson in August! I am glad about that.
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Rise and Shine Baboons!
Dear Dr. Babooner,
Some of your clients need to just get a life. Really. Is this a problem or whining about “my sad life.”
HD, get a grip on yourself. You are irritating. Wait a minute. This is Bubby Spamden, right?
Now I feel better.
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I don’t think so. Bubby would have no trouble whatsoever billing a round of golf, computer gaming or whatever with a bunch of buddies to his time sheet. He would do it in a hearthbeat and congratulate himself for a good job of multi-tasking.
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And I’m pretty sure Bubby doesn’t have a job.
Maybe this is a relative of Bubby.
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Well, husband earned some money yesterday in a totally unexpected way. He played the harmonica with his Native American friend’s band at the Mandaree, ND pow wow in a “Battle of the Bands” and they took first place. They won $1000! There were 5 other bands. They also gave out prizes for winning at tug of war, and a really interesting activity called “Hand Games”. That consists of 2 teams of 6 people who sit in rows across from one another while traditional drummers and singers perform. The participants hide two bone pegs in their hands and rhythmically wave their hands around and try to fool the other team, who try to guess what hand they are hiding the peg that has a stripe painted on it.
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Here is an explanation of the game from Wikipedia . Men and women played the game yesterday.
“Any number of men can play the Hand Game, but each team (the “hiding” team and the “guessing” team) must have one leader each. The Hand Game is played with two pairs of ‘bones’, each pair consisting of one plain and one striped bone. Typically ten sticks are used as counters with some variations using additional count sticks such as extra stick or “kick Stick” won by the starting team. the “raw” or “uncooked” counting sticks will be divided evenly between both opposing teams. different rules such as which bone will be guessed, the plain or striped bone, is determined by the traditional format of the tribe or region – the plain bone or the striped bone. California, Oklahoma, and Dakota Indians generally call for the striped bone, whereas most other tribes prefer to guess for the plain bone. The two teams, one “hiding” and one “guessing,” sit opposite one another; two members of the “hiding” team take a pair of bones and hide them, one in each hand, while the team sings, and uses traditional instruments(drums, sticks, rattles, clappers), and attempts to distract the “guessing” team. The leader or ‘Captain’ of the “guessing” team, or a team member selected by the Captain, then must guess the pattern of the hidden bones. Since each hider holds one plain and one striped bone in each hand, there are initially four possibilities: both to the left, both to the right, both inside, or both outside. A gesture with a stick or hand generally accompanies each call. For each hider mis-guessed, the calling team must turn over one stick to the hiders . If a hider is guessed he must surrender the guessed bones to the calling side. The side continues hiding and singing until both pairs of bones have been guessed and surrendered. Then the teams reverse roles, and the game continues in this manner until one team holds all the sticks.
Handgame predates recorded history. The oral tradition tells us that people originally learned Handgame from the animals. Historical documentation states that games were once played for land use and female companionship, and later on for horses and cattle. Today, handgame is played during traditional gatherings, powwows, tribal celebrations, and more recently in tournaments hosted by individual tribes or Indian organizations. More recent versions of handgame played by tribes in the Northwest added an extra stick, or “kickstick”; this variation was promulgated by the Paiute medicine man Wovoka when he traveled to the Northwest to teach the Ghost Dance. Handgame bones and counting sticks have been identified in ancient anthropological digs.
Handgame continues to spread amongst Native American tribes; the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act classified it as Class I gaming, leaving its regulation to individual tribes.”
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renee
did you take any video? sounds like it would make an interesting ditty of a guest blog. i think there are ways to send video and big files via a compressed something or other or maybe put it on you tube and let the world share in the grand champions glory. and the bone game sounds likeit would be fasinating to watch as many images as it conjours up while reading. enjoy the day off and bismarc and the weekend. and july in western north dakota, an interesting variation on december in western north dakota.
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As one who has committed to reducing clutter in 2013, I vote for Option 3. There’s nothing like clearing the clutter, creating order out of chaos, and getting stuff done to get a “feeling of exuberance.” It can even help you feel less like a hopeless drudge. And while you’re at it, you can thank your lucky stars that you have the options of getting paid to work today or getting paid to not work. Many people don’t get paid unless they work – and it ain’t always easy to get work, either.
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Correction: I am not committed to reducing clutter this year, I am committed to GETTING RID of it. At least the clutter that I can control.
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There is never enough time to get the things done that I think I should do. On some days when I think I am making good progress. Usually it is all I can do to get a few things done with most of my time somehow dissappearing without much getting done. Where does the time go? I think that HD should take the day off and refresh himself. However, I’m not really the right person to tell anyone how to manage their time.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvnCKJCgCD8
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Hey all. I’m in the elite group whose companies gave them today off with pay. Woot! Of course, that doesn’t mean I didn’t work… strawberry picking at 6:30 a.m., jam, frozen berries, a very pretty American Flag cake, coleslaw… company for dinner. I’m beat… I would be more rested if I’d gone to work.
That being said, I think HD should take Option #1. Option #2 isn’t honest and will just give you an ulcer. Options #3 will leave you grumbling all day about what others are doing, what you should have done, blah blah blah. Take the day – go off and do something fun. And like mig says, quit whining.
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You have your priorities all wrong, HD. Just quit your job, sell everything, move to Costa Rica and live on the beach. What are you getting out of that job anyway, other than a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome? Off you go. Don’t forget your sunscreen.
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