Vocation

Saw a quote on the front page of the site today.  "WORK like you don't need money, LOVE like you've never been hurt and DANCE like no one is watching.

Well, the Work part is easy.  Too easy sometimes, a local police detective called me the "Energizer Bunny" today and not because I march around in a pink, bunny suit.  He noted that he has seen me out with the other detectives on other cases and was aware that I cover more that just his city.  I go out on the weekends when I'm called, he knew this because he has called me to the scene himself on a Saturday.  Everybody has my house number since I only get one bar reception on my cellphone out in the county.  Last month, I left his police station at 10:30 PM to drive to the next town over and interview the first suspect's friend.  I think I got home at about 1:30 AM.  

This month, I have to do a Financial Disclosure as part of my employment, I printed the stupid thing out and handed to my wife.  I really don't know the exact amount of my salary or last paycheck.  She handles that, she always has.  She had to.  In the Service I was deployed to 30, 60 and 90 days at a time three to four times a year.  If she hadn't have handled the finances, I would have defaulted on bills and debts all the time.  As an adult, I have always worked for salary and never by the hour.  This isn't a criticism or complaint, just a fact.  I have never had to count the hours in the workday in order to calculate my paycheck.  And unlike most police officers, I don't have to work off-duty jobs to make up for the generally poor pay that most law enforcement departments offer.  In the Military and in my current position, I was and am paid the same every two weeks for the work that I do.  I have never been paid overtime for the hours that I have worked beyond the standard work week.  It was just accepted as part of the deal.  

Still some weeks have been a real pain.  A while back I was lamenting to my father about the level of effort that I felt some coworkers applied to the job versus others.  Some people just seem to go through the motions, find ways to "milk" an assignment or just don't really seem to care about the mission anymore.  My Dad causally responded to my complaints with something that has stuck in my mind ever since and that I have repeated afterward; "To you this is a vocation, to those other people, it's just a job."

Wow...the old man nailed it without even trying.  I shouldn't have been surprised at this insight, my father is twice retired from two separate aviation careers.  He literally has "been there and done" that at one time or another. But still, I have a vocation not a job.  

Just like he did.  

I'm cool with that.

Oh and concerning the LOVE part, well it will always hurt, but it's worth the pain.   As to the DANCE part...uh I don't dance, sorry.