“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” ~ Mark Twain
Before getting in the car to go to work at this time of the year, I step into the backyard and check on how many morning glories have opened at the break of dawn. At this time of the year they are plentiful, and their colors are somehow richer and deeper, having earned such a flush with the cooler nights. If the temperatures remain cool, and if the day is slightly overcast, they will stay open a little longer- the pay-off for exiting summer even if we wouldn’t have minded extending its stay. I haven’t had to plant new morning glories in years – these continually reseed in abundance – and such persistence and resilience is admirable. There is a lesson in that – in the way that morning glories bloom most prolifically when challenged with poor soil and difficult growing conditions. The greatest show comes from the humblest beginning. In no way do I think that I’m putting on the greatest show, nor did I come from the humblest beginning, but somewhere in between the two I’m finding my way.
As I passed my anniversary with the state of New York last month, I found myself walking right by the very first building in which I worked. I remembered my first days there – how young I was, how nervous I felt, and how hopeful I tried to be. I also recall that, in some aspects, trying on the state worker mantle was a temporary lark in my mind. I had no idea it would turn into an 18-years-and-counting career, and it was better that way. Would I have started it at all if those golden handcuffs were clinking near my ear? I don’t know. But life has a way of unfolding exactly as it should, and my state career would take twists and turns that carved me into a better worker, and in many ways a better person. It would simultaneously challenge and disappoint, bore and surprise, nourish and enrich, inspire and delight – and ultimately lead me on a path that was filled with kindness, connections, loyalty and friendship.
State service and government work are not fields in which I thought I would ever play a part. Neither is Human Resources. The truth is that I’m not the greatest Human Resources person in the world. It is, in many ways, a difficult fit for someone whose natural tendency is to shy away from people and keep to himself. Yet in ways I have only begun to touch upon it has enabled me to expand my comfort zone, to push a little harder to be part of society, and to get closer to people on a broader and more specific scale. It has taught me to be kinder, more patient, and better – especially on those days when I fail a little. Looking back over the past eighteen years of working for New York State, I’m grateful for every twist and turn my path has taken, for all the people I’ve had the good fortune to meet and come to know, and for the chances I’ve been lucky enough to earn and get. Perhaps most importantly, I’m thankful to have reached a point of understanding that a fulfilling career is not about reaching a certain level of accomplishment or salary – it’s about each moment along the way.
I’ve had some wonderful moments… and I’m still looking forward to more.
See also the following:
Confessions of a New York State Worker – Part One
Confessions of a New York State Worker – Part Two
Confessions of a New York State Worker – Part Three
Confessions of a New York State Worker – Part Four
Confessions of a New York State Worker – Part Five
Confessions of a New York State Worker – Part Six
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
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