Twenty Years - Remembering

Twenty Years

Part One: Remembering

Written by Dan McDonald 

            Twenty years ago, in the last week of September, I began working directly for the company which owns the facility where I work. Since that time ownership has changed through selling of the facility and then merger of corporations owning the facility. Prior to working directly for the corporation owning the facility I had worked indirectly through contract companies. Working directly for the company meant stable employment, better pay, and increased benefits. Money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness, but pay to cover the essentials, benefits to cover insurance, vacations to enjoy differing sights and experiences have all undoubtedly contributed to a degree of happiness that I did not know when working for subcontractors and having to continually wonder if I could keep my head above water, especially if some event happened for which I was not prepared. It might seem spiritual to say I would have been as happy without the change of position twenty years ago, but that has not been the experience. It has been a blessing to receive better wages and benefits. I have hopefully learned some things in the past twenty years. One of the things I have learned is that wages that allow one to own a house, to save for retirement, to enjoy a few weeks for some time away from the job, and to provide for one’s family without fear of being wiped out by a medical expense is something I believe every employer should want to be able to give to his employee. I am extremely grateful that I have enjoyed such a lifestyle with the company for whom I have worked this past twenty years.

            Working in any environment has its pleasantries and its difficulties. I am the sort of person who can become easily discouraged and depressed. Over the years I have often felt discouraged and often times when in such a funk I have blamed my lack of enjoyment on the people with whom I worked. I have often had to swallow my pride and realize that as often as not when I felt discouraged regarding my place in life, it was my attitude more than anything which was really wrong. Years ago I learned a valuable lesson. I had a job where I shared a tool box and tools with a couple of other people. I began noticing that someone was not putting their tools away. I kept my silence. I decided to be extra careful to make sure I put the tools back in the toolbox when I was finished. I would run my experiment and then tell of how the tools kept missing. I did this for two or three days. At the end of this time, the tools had magically returned to the tool box. I learned by saying nothing and paying closer attention that I had been the one who kept not returning the tools. I had imagined everyone else’s faults while I had never imagined my faults. It was a humbling experience. It wouldn’t be the only time I learned that I was often the guilty one.

            Twenty years on the job and you get to meet a lot of different people. Some are generally enjoyable to work with, and some are difficult, and some become acquired tastes. I remember one employee who I worked with when I was still a contractor. He was loud, easily angered, and seemed angry at times because he was hard of hearing and so talked almost like he was screaming with his regular voice. He also got upset pretty easily accounting for the louder than normal voice. I had worked helping the predecessor on this particular job and once made a big mistake. I could see that his way of doing the job wouldn’t work as well as how his predecessor had done the job. I made the mistake of saying “That’s not how --- did it.” He got upset and started yelling at me so that a couple of floors down everyone could hear him tell me how worthless I was. I hated working with him and at times fretted coming to work. It was unpleasant to consider. Soon enough there was another occasion when he was about to do a job in a way that could be done easier and better. This time I was careful to try to be diplomatic. I asked him if he would consider something and we would do it however he decided. He agreed. I explained it to him. He replied “I think that is a better way.” After that we learned to talk things out. I learned he wasn’t a bad guy. Perhaps he had hardly ever been respected throughout his life. He could be difficult, but maybe that was all he had learned or had been taught. I won’t say every day I worked with him was pleasant. I will say working with him taught me something about working with others. We often learn more from those who are difficult than those who are kind. I don’t mean to imply we shouldn’t be kind, but don’t get too bent out of shape if some people don’t know how to respect others.

            Working twenty years at the same job, day in and day out teaches us to have gratitude for the long run and not just the easy or pleasant days. It takes the storms to turn the grass green. In the long run we learn the sort of gratitude expressed by the Anglican poet, George Herbert:

Ah, my dear angry Lord,

Since thou dost love, yet strike;

Cast down, yet help afford;

Sure I will do the like.

I will complain, yet praise;

I will bewail, approve;

And all my sour-sweet days

I will lament and love.

         In Twenty years, there have been many pleasant days, but I probably learned more from those sour-sweet days.