As a creative, I never wanted to work a nine-to-five. I am not a morning person. Even as a writer I am still grappling with the idea of sitting down to work every day at the same time. The closest I get to a routine is having a cup of coffee every morning shortly after waking. When I moved to Atlanta in 1990, I worked, at least, two jobs consistently until I was hired at the post office in 2000. (One year I had three which included a weekend gig at the IRS during tax season.) I left the post office to go back to school and vowed that I’d never work another government job again. I lied to myself. You see, I have two serious addictions (not counting coffee). I like to eat and sleep indoors. And if nothing, government work is steady and pays well. Civil service has helped me create a stability I never knew was possible, and that I’d not experienced since before my parent’s deaths threw my teenaged life into chaos.
Civil service also affords one the luxury of walking away when you get to that point in your life where the routine has become a drag. Oh, I am certain that it is not that way for most government workers. Some will work for years. They will need to be dragged out, kicking and screaming. But not I. I have set my date, and soon I will be among those who have the time to do what they choose. It is a blessing that I do not take lightly. I realize there are many who cannot afford to walk away. Many will continue to work passed what is considered retirement age in order to maintain some stability. They still have families to feed, need health insurance, or won’t have a pension.
But my desire for every black woman is that she is able, at some point in her life, to find the ease necessary to pursue the things that bring her the most joy, and peace. I want for black women to be able to release the struggle, the hustle, the grind, and just be. When we’re ready, we all deserve the luxury of walking away.
SPITTING OUT BONES 