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Saturday, July 15, 2006, 14:53

MoBot

I recently just got a new job. I never thought I'd be working in a coffee shop, but it happened. I've dicovered that I don't hate working with people as much as I thought.

I have realized something over the last few months in search for a job. I don't really end up liking a job until I've stopped working it.

The job I had previous to washing dishes, the first job I had in Chicago after coming back, was at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. I mowed grass there... I was a part of the Turf Crew. From when I started until about September I worked with Todd and David. Two guys in there 30s who had been doing work like this most of there lives. Both had gone to college, but neither graduated. I think they learned long ago, that the outdoors and the type of work can give you a certain freedom.

When you mow grass, someone might be watching you, but not all the time, and usually not often. Besides that, no one can ultimately control and/or monitor your every move. It's just not pratical and for that matter,possible (unless they are tied to your waste or riding on your back).

So, Todd and David learned the rules. They learned to deal with the politics and the hierarchy of things. Me being new, I didn't completely understand or care to put up with it. I guess that's ultimately why I quit. But I really liked working outdoors. After work, you really felt like you accomplished something. That you did something important. And I liked that. And I think Todd and David knew that when they made their career choices. That and learning to let go of their hang ups of having a boss telling you what to do.

Waking up early in the morning may be a bitch, but sometimes you understand why you get up for the grind. Other than the money, there are days where you understand why you do it. Why you sweat and tire yourself all day. There's a certain appreciation and renewal you get from yourself.

Also, working somewhere so beautiful is worth it. There were times where the gardeners would take you aside, and show you the best spots to stand and admire nature... It was like nothing I felt in my life. In the fall, the way the light hits the leaves at 7 AM... It makes you feel... It makes you feel good.

Sometimes I wish I could go back. But the way I quit, I don't think they'd let me. I think they'd laugh and slam the door in my face. I wouldn't be mad at them for doing it either. I did quit giving them 6 hours; the end of the day. And that night I drove to Chicago, where I am now.

I have endless stories of stuff that happpened there and stories of beauty you could only see to believe. But... They will have to stay just memories. I'll never live that life again. Every once in a while I remember how much I hated working there when I did. But maybe one day I'll return to working in a botanical garden. But nothing like the time I had that summer and not anytime soon.

Comments:

Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/sycros/www/blog/post.php on line 168
reina, Sunday, January 27, 2008, 15:21

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Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/sycros/www/blog/post.php on line 168
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Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/sycros/www/blog/post.php on line 168
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Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/New_York' for 'EDT/-4.0/DST' instead in /home/sycros/www/blog/post.php on line 168
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