Working for the weekend

Once upon a time I went to work after school, in a greenhouse then in a print shop. I graduated high school and continued in the print shop, at minimum wage or maybe a few coppers over minimum wage and then I joined the military. So after 20 years of military service I am back in the work force and working for the weekend as that 80’s band sings in their classic song “Working for the weekend”. Even when I was in the military there was a sense of working for the weekend, from time to time, however as duty days on the weekend became a fact of life that started to fade for me. Especially when I started to notice that I was having a better time at work than at play. I know that sounds bizarre but it is true because I got to play and be with friends while at work! It was great! Now that I’m out I have a job that I am enjoying. No it doesn’t have the sense of urgency that the military did but it is decent money and is pleasant surroundings, for an office. The thing is I have noticed that I am starting to work for the weekend again. The same thing happened with my Bride but slightly different. Same, same but different. Working for the weekend.

Now you may be saying “no ship Sherlock everyone does this”. To that I say, WHY? See once upon a time I found that I was looking forward to deploying and spending time with a great bunch of guys (yes, and gals too). My Mrs. also had a nice routine of work and friends that crossed over to a degree. In the movie the Shawshank Redemption there was a line about becoming institutionalized to a system and it was true was certainly true for me. When I went out it was with my military buddies, which is normal, but I found out that when I went on leave I missed the military surroundings and people. Don’t get me wrong I love my Son more than life itself and I love my parents and family too but I found I longed to be back in a military environment. When I went to Hawaii I found that if I wasn’t at work I was normally at my best friend’s house. My best friend was also at the same command and was my boss for a while. His wife was fantastic and put up with a boozed up buddy (moi) stumbling over with a rack of beer and eating dinner with them nearly every night. In fact I even recall getting calls from them asking me if I was coming over for dinner if I was running later than usual. It was a family outside my family. The best part was I could cuss, burp and fart with no fear of reprisal from my mom! My wife was able to socialize at work and her friends came in, then when she was off of work they were at each other’s houses and had a very family like situation there. It was a great thing for her too. So who the hell needed a proper weekend?

Now you see here’s the rub. The thing that my Bride and I are missing is our friends & families. Mine are scattered far and wide and hers are even father and wider. The same for our families, mine are far (about 2,500 miles), hers are farther (about 5,000 miles). So how in the world does someone make a new best friend or even new friends when that social environment is gone? There has to be a commonality, a link, an alignment of the stars or sometimes a bitter stroke of fate. Yes I can honestly say my wife is my best friend and I know I am my wife’s best (guy) friend. There is no replacing the Blonde (the “E” is European) in that department, too many tears and laughs and coffees have been poured out to replace the Blonde. That sounds weird and no it isn’t kinky. In fact it would probably make a great made for TV movie or feel good hit of the summer! But how does someone find a simple friend when there is a lack of commonality? You just end up with acquaintances if there is no commonality. I think people use the word friend too much now-a-days. The youngest obtains new best friends and new “loves of my life” weekly, ok monthly…maybe quarterly. But adults aren’t like that, nor should they be honestly. I’m sure we all know “adults” who are like that but I think they fall into the acquaintance category for most of us. But without our friends and families we just end up working for the weekend. So to all of our friends and family out there I hope you know that you are in our hearts, minds, and prayers during this holiday season. We love you and miss you all no matter where you are on this big old world!