Roof framed and roof proper begun just barely, on this November’s final Monday; she had to head back for work.

While we completed the framing I thought about the days when I had weekends and Mondays. Institutional Employment has a lot of ease and upside, which is why most people try to have and keep jobs. One thing that’s hard to see from that side: a job means you have no need to justify how you spend your time. Simply showing up, doing okay, and drawing the paycheck is enough.

Here and now in this new December, I feel people wondering about me. What good am I, without cash flow? How do I measure up in terms of worth to myself, to my beloved, to the world? Am I wasting my days?

I don’t feel I am. But explaining how and why is a convoluted process. Instead of just saying ‘I teach at the college’, which would be plenty for most people and maybe even a little impressive, I’m just ‘unemployed’ in the word of the middling lady from the other day. “I’m sorry”. Yeah nice lady, but I’m not, nor am I going to go too far in the direction of telling you why this is, for now, much better.