The New and Improved Cynical Idealist

Happy-ish

Today ends another week in my department at work, at least on my shift. Next week we go to the graveyard shift, but for the next two days, I can relax, enjoy a beer or whiskey or both, and maybe put pen to paper at some point.

Before I do all that, I need to get something off my chest here. I'm not the guy that stresses about things at work, especially when I'm not there, but by God do I work on a crew full of those guys. I'm the 2nd oldest on my crew, granted I'm not old - only 39, but the others are a good bit younger than me and the other fella. That said, you couldn't tell. Stress beats you up. I don't share the opinions of some of the guys I work with about our company, but if you ask them, this place has beaten them into the dirt. That's the killer there. I try to say there's way more important things to worry about than how good your weld looks. You welders out there, I know I just triggered you - believe me, we don't weld for beauty contests in my department, and I've seen some damn fine looking welds fail, and absolute ugly beads hold like a champ.

With that out there, the youngest guy on my crew is 21. I swear in another year this man is going to have gray hair, if he has any left. This kid is a straight worry stone like I've never seen; welds, electrical cords, cranes, fork-lifts, paperwork... this kid just stresses about all of it. On top of it all, he's a single guy who desperately wants to not be single. I'm rooting for him. Really, he needs it.

Two days ago, he called off after a lot of urging from me and the other older fella on the crew, to meet a girl from his days in weld school. It took us an entire shift to convince him that he's got nothing to worry about here at work, and to go enjoy his self. Today he apologized to me like I was mad at him.

Buddy, I'm not mad at you. Gotta enjoy life a little bit. 21 years old is way too young to be worrying all the time. He's a happy-ish guy, but by God I want to see that potential really get tapped when he gets himself a lady friend. It sounds cave-man I know, but you'd have to meet him. I can attest that a good partner really can bring a lot of harmony to your life even if it was nothing but stress before.

That's what my awesome wife did for me. I was that kid once when I traveled for a living. If i'd have stayed with that company, I'd have given myself maybe 20 years and stress would have killed me. She brought me back down to earth. Really, she did, I don't even know if she realizes it. I'd love to see the same happen to this guy.

It bugs me seeing someone put on a happy face when they're not happy. It's a tough-guy thing to do, and in our line of work, that's just kind of the prescribed method, but why be happy-ish when you can actually be happy?