Time Off For Good Behavior

"If I can stay at this job a year," the kid said in the thick, diction-challenged voice of a tenth grade graduate, as he jumped out of the big landscaping truck, "then I get a vacation. I've never had a vacation before. How about holidays? Are the paid, too?"

I heard this as I rode my bike to work, just back from an indulgent two week trip to the Greek Islands. Part of me cringed because I forget sometimes how lucky I am. Then my brain shifted over to wondering if that kid would ever last a year in his newfound, seasonal and competitve position. The boss part of me got annoyed over the fact that for so many people, the most exciting part about work is the time off.

I wanted to write every moment of the trip down. I carried a dictaphone and a tiny notebook with a Keith Haring-ish cover, but the truth is (something I discovered with my camera), if you focus too much on capturing the moment, you miss it. So I promised myself over and over again to remember this, to not forget.