Party's Over

12 of 365

Back to work :( The good times are over. I had a good time on vacation and now it's back the grind. It was nice not having to worry about keeping track of peoples whereabouts, appointments, work schedules, marital status ( divorce in progress, domestic issues...etc) whether their insurance/registration for their vehicle is current, and their lack of problem solving for their own every day issues. It's ridiculous. For those of you who don't know what it's like to be in a leadership position in the Army: Welcome to my world. If that stuff sounds ridiculous to you, don't worry. I feel the same way. I really don't see how it's my responsibility to make sure that another grown adults auto insurance or registration is my responsibility but that's how the Army works. Accountability is everything in the Army. In certain situations it's understandable. But for the most part it's a pain. If a soldier has an appointment I have to know what time that troop is supposed to be there. Understandable. But for some reason it's my responsibility to make sure they remember what time to be there, make sure they make it on time, have them report when they are done and tell them what to do after that. Now if this soldier fails to make it to their appointment on time, it's my fault and I have to go see our supervisor and his supervisor and I get reprimanded for their actions. That soldier gets punished as well but the point being, I'm to blame for another persons actions. That's my life in the Army. So, after reading this you might come to the conclusion that I don't like my job. I don't just "not like it". I hate it. If this seems petty to you....cool. Its just a small sample of the BS I deal with day in and day out. There is a lot more that goes with it. Its not just that.

I'm in the process of trying to change my job in the Army in hopes that it's better in that field of work. If I don't get this job change, I'm counting down the days. As it stands, as of today, I have 1 year, 9 weeks, 4 days, 15 hours, 26 minutes, 33, 32, 31 31.......seconds left until I am a free man and get to enjoy my freedom as a civilian. There is nothing more liberating than doing a job that you enjoy. I've been doing family portraits on the side. I have spent entire weekends working with clients and their portraits. To me that wasn't work. I enjoyed it and i love doing it. My goal, once I'm done with the Army is to be a full time photographer. As the saying goes, Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life. I can't wait to never work again.