Editorial
Front Page - Friday, February 12, 2010
View from the Cheap Seats
Snowblind
Bill James
WmjamesJr@aol.com
I did not anticipate the two days off from work that spring gave to me this week. Just like last week, I was getting ready for work before I realized I wasn’t going there. That has now happened two weeks in a row. “Today” is the 12th of February. Can there be any more snow? It is possible, but unlikely. That means that spring is just around the corner.
Anyway, I had plenty to work on since I had just happened to take a bunch of work home with me on Sunday. Actually, I had gone by the office on Sunday and picked up some files that I thought I was going to work on Sunday night. I had other files in the car that I had put in there because I thought I was going to Berryville to visit a couple of clients in the local jail.
I did not go because I was having a strange pain on the right side of my chest. I only felt the pain when I breathed deeply or moved. That meant that as long as I took shallow breaths and stayed completely still, I felt no pain. The doctor gave me a script for some supped up Advil and told me to quit whining.
Since I was in town Saturday, I was able to go to Blair’s basketball game. Blair scored eight points and had several rebounds. Ironically, that was the first points that she scored all year. I would like to think that my presence had something to do with her superb play, but I count myself lucky that I was there to see it.
The point of all this is that, on Monday, I decided I needed to hone my skills on Wii golf. After two games, I found that I had lost my credentials as a pro. That meant I had to take the official “pro” glasses off my character. I also had to change the color of the clothes my character was wearing from blue to pink. In our house, we use shame to push ourselves to do our best. I was ridiculed the entire snow vacation by my children.
I did not work at all until Tuesday afternoon. In fact, I did no work at home. I went to the office and met with a client that I forgot to call and tell that the office was closed. It was good to get out of the house and see the streets of Little Rock.
When I got home, I gathered the children and started another 9 holes of golf. I decided I had to redeem my character before I went back to work. I played hard and measured my strokes carefully. I am proud to say that I know have my amber “pro” glasses back and am sporting a blue outfit.
I don’t get much joy out of missing work, but I have to admit I had fun this week. Sometimes, the unexpected breaks are the best ones. Of course, making up the work that was missed will be twice as hard. The trick is to have fun when the opportunity presents itself and worry about the work later. It will always be the waiting. At least, that is what I told myself this week while I was taking it easy in the CHEAP SEATS!
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