PopcornJackTerry

One of the plus/minuses of moving is I’m always going through the flotsam of my past. I keep like 95% of the letters/cards/whatnot that I get from people. Usually it’s a little painful, and this time is no different. I found a larger trove of cards and letters from a friend than I expected and it reminded me of how selfish I can be. But in the middle of that I found a few gems. One was a letter from a high school friend to me as a freshman telling me and my roommate to blow off class and meet them at the Met. The other was the thing I’m writing about.

A long time ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and I was not long out of college, I worked for an insurance company. (What can I say? I grew up around Hartford; I think everyone had to for some time, kind of a Nutmeg State rite of passage.) Anyway, I hated the job and the bosses hated the fact that I hated the job. They showed me that hatred by giving me the lowest possible bonus they could. I however was already three steps ahead of them.

The day the bonus check came out, i took it right down to the credit union in the building and cashed it so they couldn’t stop payment on it. Then I went back to my desk and sent out the email that follows. I walked down one flight of stairs, a co-worker drove me to the bus station and I left for my new job and apartment that I had already lined up.

It was, and is, a call to action, one that has sometimes made me miserable over the years as I search for that ideal situation, but also one that I never lose sight of. Ironically the copy I’m transcribing from was sent to me by a coworker from her personal email account. Wonder if it’s still active….

Enjoy.

“Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I guess it’s time for a goodbye again.”

For a writer, I find myself strangely drawing a blank. This message will be received by two groups: those I worked for and those I worked with. i feel I will start with those I worked for.

There’s an irony that I feel has been missed by the supervisors. In the obsessive search for the perfect stats (editor note: we were a call center for the insurance company), the fact has been lost that to obtain those stats, which could be easily done by the staff working here, the staff needs to want to earn them, and that is not something achieved through threatening and oppressive tactics. There is no one here that is happy with the current situation, and yet that is not to say that there are not people here who want to be happy here, who like the job and want to continue. I’m not saying this place should be run like a Club Med, but instead of intimidating the staff, try respecting them. Very few give their all here because they feel that there is no reason to. Too much emphasis is placed on emphasizing the negative and too little on reinforcing the positive. Respect the staff and the staff will respect you, and the elusive wonderful stats will be achieved. An emperor that rules with an open hand has a far more rewarding and productive country than one who rules with a closed fist.

On to those with whom I worked. I’ve met all sorts of people, from the outrageous to the uptight (you know who you are) and I will take all of you with me. It is the artistic conceit to use that which one knows as fodder for creation, and that which I have experienced here will give me years of material! There are two groups of you, and to each of you I give you a wish:

To those of you who know that this company, or one like it, is your future: keep up the fight. There is much that needs to be changed, and there is much that will be changed. Remember all that you are entitled to, such as simple decency, and do not stop asking for it until you get it. This can be a good place to work, for you are all good people to work with, and you can make it good. It shouldn’t have to be that way; a comfortable work environment is something that should already exist and not have to be fought for, but you can make it that way. Just don’t ever stop. (And remember: the state labor relation board can be your best friend…)

For those of you who know that this company, or one like it, is not what your future holds: the world is out there waiting for you, and you must go and meet it. Some people believe that we live many lives, but since this is the only one I seem to remember, i can only believe that this is it, and therefore we must make the most of it. It is up to you to make the most out of life, for life will not make anything for you. In the end, you will only regret that which you did not do and not that which you did.

I’m out of here kids. My fingers are shaking, my blood is pumping, my body is jazzed and my bags are packed. I wish everyone nothing but the best. If I leave here, and you all, a little different, hopefully better, than when i first arrived, that makes me a happy man. I hope some who knows enough/is foolish enough to take over my position as department court jester, for there is nothing in this world more precious in this world than a laugh and a smile. Since I started all of this with a song quote (B. Joel “Say Goodbye To Hollywood”,) I might as well end it with one (B. Dylan “Just Like Tom Thumb Blues.”)

“I’m going back to New York City, I do believe I’ve had enough.”

That was my resignation letter, at age 25, to MassMutual. It went out to about 200 people, and yes, I did receive a standing ovation on my way out of the cubicle farm. There are, naturally, two bonus tracks for this. Click here for the opener, and click here for the one that played over the credits as I left the building.