It Was a Full Day

I began my day at 5:45 a.m., as usual, when my alarm clock beeped. But instead of getting up to a leisurely cup of coffee and an hour or so to write followed by a short run, I jumped right out of bed, threw on my clothes and was at work by 6:30 a.m. (I showered last night in anticipation of my busy morning). Today was the annual highlight of my job. Today was the day I had young people show up for their first day of their first job. What an honor to be part of that experience. The young teenagers, some only fourteen years old, have been volunteering for the non-profit organization where I work during the past school year and have earned the job. They reported for work at 7:30 a.m., sleepy, but excited to be earning their own money. I witnessed a right of passage. Proud parents or grandparents or guardians dropped off children for work this morning and picked up young adults; young adults who are now responsible and contributing members of our society. To think I had a hand in this transition is phenomenal. After putting in a busy morning with the newly hatched workforce I still had to get to my office to do the mundane part of my job. After an exhausting ten-hour day I left work, but not to come home to more work (alas, another excuse not to clean!), but to bask in the good feeling of helping to create good citizens of the world.