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I Now Pronounce You: Work and Wife

This morning I woke up hopeful. I put on my best second-hand suit, added a little bit of blush to the "apples" of my cheeks and rubbed the scuffs off of my shoes. I had a big meeting at work with a group of people I'd never met and needed to impress. My stomach churned waiting for my time slot at the meeting.

I was proud and confident until they started to talk. Then I was shot down. I was beaten down. I was defeated. I didn't cry because I'm over that but I did feel like sticking my head in the sand for a few hours. It quickly became one of those days where you spend the rest of your working hours mentally drafting business plans which will allow you to make tons of money, be your own boss and change the world.

Wouldn't it be great if you could have a trial separation from your job? A three-month hiatus where you explore, spend some time with other jobs. Meet new people Sow your wild oats. After all, you hooked up with your job when you were naive and young. You didn't know any better and now you feel lonely, isolated and trapped. Would the grass be greener on the other side?

Later this afternoon I received a call from an interesting gentleman seeking an intern for the semester. He provided me with details about his own path to his current workplace and in the process asked me, "Have you ever dreamed about having a certain job?" Dream Job. Isn't that an oxymoron? OK, I'm being a cynic but give me a break! I had a bad day!

Is there such a thing as an authentic vocation? Is there a job out there that is our destiny? A job that will change the world and change us as individuals? Can a profession be your "soul mate"? Or, are there a number of jobs we could settle for and it's just time, place and circumstance that leads us to these jobs?

Since so many of us are more or less married to our work I certainly hope we can all find our soul mate profession. Or at least find some level of comfort, security and happiness with the various professions we find ourselves in.

Tomorrow is my one-year anniversary at work. I suppose we are officially out of the honeymoon period. Only time will tell if this relationship will end happily ever after or if me and work will end up split up. At least, no matter what, I'll get to keep my retirement benefits.

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