Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Strange days have found us

October 16, 2013

Strange days have found us
Strange days have tracked us down
They're going to destroy
Our casual joys
We shall go on playing
Or find a new town.

As a general rule, Strange Days is not my favorite song by The Doors, my fave being Light My Fire. Back in the day when radio station 105.9 WCRX went live as the area’s first classic rock station their debut song was Light My Fire by The Doors.  I was really bummed when the station flipped over to “smooth jazz” but it wasn’t all bad so I still tuned in occasionally. At least I did until they went to a talk format and I found another station I like, that being 106.9 The Eagle. (Okay, guys - gimme something free for the plug!)

On the drive to work recently, the song Strange Days by The Doors aired and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. I suppose it resonated this time due to changes at my place of employment. Yes, strange days, or at least forty strange hours a week, have come to my world.

Changes in the workplace are nothing new. We all experience them and we all live through it. How we come out the other side varies. Stress can be a killer, this we know, but it can also change a person’s view of the world. Perhaps that’s the more damaging. 

For myself, I got a wakeup call last night when I realized the situation at the day job had me too mentally exhausted to settle down and write. That’s when the words to the song really took hold.

“They’re going to destroy our casual joys…”

The words are something to think about.  This morning I’m better rested and much clearer. Perhaps it’s time to institute my own “strange days.” It’s time to stop being nice and agreeing to those things that are not my responsibility. Who I become in the forty hours a week I give to an employer is not who I really am. They pay for my time and talents, not my soul.

It’s time to step back and realign my priorities, those being home and hearth and everything encompassed there. And having learned other lessons, I’ll do it all with a smile. I expect it will surprise a few people when they figure out they’ve actually been forced to do their own work. 

Strange days, indeed.

KC
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