Next

The meeting was scheduled for 1PM to 5PM. My work day is from 8AM to 4PM.

A contract was being negotiated.

Every time the other side would leave, I would think about how much I didn't want to be there. My mind would wander to things I should be doing, things that have been holding me back. Things that have been causing my life to stagnate.

I wondered if "stepping up" was a mistake. I tried to reconcile my expectations of others and those of myself. I think more people should step up and do things but if I do not step up in certain ways then how can I expect other to step up? I thought more people should get involved in the union, even though I am not a huge fan of labor unions. The union is there, it is a closed shopped, if you have to exist in it, you should try to make sure it works to the collective benefit of the membership.

It was that thinking that caused me to run for office. It wasn't much of a run, there was just one nominee, just like most every other election where the 'leaders' end up pleading with folks to fill the offices.

I fell into vice president. I figured that it would be easy and it was until the president quit. I still hold it against him somewhat. But "people need to step up" was still my stated belief.

I watched the time change from my normal work day into my free time. I watched the time go past the end of average work day, the scheduled end of the meeting, and further into the evening. I watched the time go past other unclassified periods and then I started to worry about whether or not the public transit system would still be running when we finally would get to leave.

Progress was slow and stopped on occasion. I entertained the thought of quitting, just to be finished for the day but someone would always start things back up.

We ended up with an agreement that some people hated. I thought the agreement was livable, probably fair and maybe in some instances approaching good.

I signed the line some time after 9:30PM and I was glad to be done with that portion of it.

I would say that it is down hill from here but it is really more of a plateau but I can at least see where the downward slope begins, and once I reach the valley, I will soon be done. And then I can focus more on me and those things.



I wonder how you are.