Days of Our Work Lives: An unvarnished look at work today: Part II: Susan's Saga. Episode 15: When is Good Good Enough?

Days of Our Work Lives

Part II: Susan's Saga  

Episode 15

When is Good Good Enough?

In the previous episode, Ben helped Susan prepare for her presentation at Rotary. Although it was just a two-minute report from the entertainment committee, she was scared. She had an outsized fear of public speaking and, at age 38, this would be her first real talk to an audience. And it would be 100 people, all of whom knew her, all of whom would remember if she was terrible.

Rory, now the chapter's president, introduced Susan more richly than any committee head had ever been introduced:  "Boy, has Susan come a long way from working for me selling fertilizer. She now runs the most important place in Sage River. It's not a cafe. It's the place that makes us all get involved, be better citizens, better human beings: The Town Hall Meeting Cafe."

She looked fondly at Rory although quickly gave Ben a loving look lest either of them get the wrong idea.

After that encomium, the last line of Rory's introduction was comically anti-climatic: "Susan would you give the report from the entertainment committee?"

Susan was much better than she expected. She was natural,  funny, and concise. She was buoyed by her preparation, the paean of an introduction, and her periodic glances to Ben and Rory..

Usually, committee reports are followed, at most, by the speaker's closest friends tepid applause. No, Susan didn't get an ovation but the applause meter would have been impressed. 

Afterwards, Rory asked her, "How are you?"

Not wanting to respond to his flirtation and having left her fertilizer job because she didn't know Excel, she responded, "Well, I've learned Excel and even QuickBooks."

"Okay, so how'd you like to be our club's next treasurer?"

When you need something done, ask a busy person. And although Susan probably needed to learn to say no to yet another time suck, she said, "I'm flattered. Okay."

"Next, I'm betting you'll be president."

Late that night, Susan and Ben, on the way to bed, stopped in to Adam's room. They often enjoyed taking a moment to look at the dear but active boy finally at rest. But this night, Ben could have no idea what she was thinking:

"I have a good life. I have a good son. I own a good cafe. I have a good boyfriend. I gave a good talk at Rotary; they want me to be treasurer. Everything is good but how do I know if and when good is good enough?"

And that ends Part II of Days of Our Work Lives.  

Episode 1 of Part III, Adam's Saga, is HERE.

Days of Our Work Lives: An unvarnished look at work today: Part I: David's Saga: Episode 7: For The Marriage' Sake

Days of Our Work Lives

Part I: David's Saga

Episode 7

For the Marriage's Sake

At the end of the previous episode, Susan agreed to let David take a month for "planned serendipity:" exploring what sort of work he might pursue and giving himself the first real break from work in his 19 years of working.

But after a month of Sierra Club hikes, photography classes, dog-walking meetups, and a seven-day juice-fast meditation retreat, David was still clueless as to what to do careerwise.

"Susan, I need another month or two."

"David, our savings are starting to dwindle. It makes me nervous. If you haven't found your calling in all this time, another month won't likely reveal it."

"I'm not looking for my calling. Only clerics and guests on Oprah have callings. I'm just looking for something that doesn't make me feel half-dead. I don't expect to find work that gives me a non-stop orgasm... Why don't you get some more singing or piano students? You're only working five or ten hours a week."

"There are a zillion music teachers. I'm grateful I have the five or ten hours."

"But you do no marketing. I'll bet if you marketed just a little, you could get more students. Okay, what's your best way to market: schmooze demo classes in public schools, what?"

"I don't know."

"You love to show off your music students and you love to throw parties. Why don't you invite all your past and present students and their parents to the house and have them perform. That'll get you a few referrals, I'll bet!"

"It feels like too much work for too little results."

"I think you just like your life just as it is---just enough work so you don't have to tell your friends you're a stay-at-home housewife."

"Damn you!...Okay, I'll call the parents of my past students, say I was thinking of their kid and so I figured I'd pick up the phone and ask how she was doing. Without having to ask for business, that'll put me into their head and maybe they'll want me to start teaching their kid again or refer some other parent to me."

"Sounds great."

"But then, David, you have to promise you'll go get a job now. Stop with the dreaming and find a marketing job. That's the only practical way for you, at age 42, with 19 years in marketing, to bring in enough money to afford the mortgage and pay for the damn private school. God, I wish there was a public school in our area we could send Adam to without feeling like we're throwing him to the wolves."

"Okay. I'll look for a marketing job."

The next episode is HERE.