Good toil

As the first week of the last month of the year draws to a close, I’m starting to notice I’m not the only one at work who is feeling the cumulative effect of a year’s toil. I actually told my boss a couple of days ago, that I’ve started a countdown to the Christmas break.
That was in response to a big yaw from him, followed by a “I need a holiday Ian” uttered in a laboured tone. Last week the CEO who sits just behind my boss, appeared to have bags under his eyes. I’d like to think they both too, are thinking of the 2 (full) weeks of break that’s coming up in a little over 2 weeks.
A few days ago I recalled the events of a year ago. I had taken an evening flight out of Canberra, where I had been working, to come to Melbourne. I had a second interview the next day, for the job I’m now doing. The morning of the interview, Kiddo received the results she needed to obtain her PhB from ANU.
When the interview was done, I went into the city and caught up with Tress at Spenser Station. I had a Sky Bus out from there back to Tullamarine, where I was to catch a flight back to Canberra and to work the next day. While at Spenser, I took a call from the recruiter, with the news that the interview was successful and I was offered the role.
A year into the role, I’m still plugging away. It has been a chequered year at work. While I have generally enjoyed coming in to work, the environment hasn’t been all that positive. Several colleagues I established relationships with have left – all of them being let go. The company is facing challenges principally from the US market where there has been regulatory issues. I continue to mingle with colleagues who feel insecure over their tenure, and feel they can be shown the door any day. Every other week someone is being shown the door. So in some ways the environment is toxic. At the same time however, there is hope and light shines through the other end of the tunnel. The office makeover has generated some energy and engagement by staff is up, and several senior sales and production/operations appointments have been made so hopefully things settle down to an even and constant beat.
Meanwhile I just put my head down and each day make my way through the PTV maze to get to the office, do my work and move on to the next day. I’m living. I put in my yards. I work on my tasks. I don’t look for meaning or fulfilment beyond the daily creation and attempted perfection of my tasks.
Kiddo in the meantime, is a bit over the half way mark of an intensive training session in Deakin Uni in Warnambool .That training finishes on the 21st and we’ll likely go up there to drive back with her.
It has been a year of toil for her too, I’m sure. All the teeing up of lessons with her students, the applications for a full time job, the application for the TFA program she’s now part of, and of course the planning of the wedding. It has been quiet a year.
Tress too has had a roller coaster ride. Having left Myer after more than 10 years there, the landing on Interactive was a brief one. In July she left, and after a couple of months or so of break she was back at it, in World Vision. The strongly Christian based NFP and the proximity to home are such great incentives and I’m ever so grateful for the opportunity she’s been given.
In a little over 3 weeks, we’d be ushering in the new year. I hope we continue to be able to toil away.