Two dads, a Little League game, and one brutally honest conversation about jobs, dreams, and what keeps us grinding day after day. Spoiler: nobody’s there for the baseball.
Tommy Johnson and Nick Polowski was sitting in the stands watching their sons play a Little League baseball game. Tommy’s son Ben was the pitcher and Nick’s son played first base. They were both on the same team, the Thunderbirds. They really weren’t interested in the game. The boys were doing fine. HEB became more interested in the conversation they were having.
Tommy:” You know, Nick, if I didn’t hurt my shoulder, I could’ve made the majors. I wouldn’t be scraping by trying to pay a mortgage and keeping Toyota in business by leasing two Toyotas.”
Nick: “know what you mean, Tommy. I could never hit a curve ball, so I would’ve never made the majors. I was just lucky to make the high school team and get in when we were far ahead. Are you happy in your job? I hate Maya.”
Tommy: “It’s not the best job in the world. It’s not the worse job. It’s a job.”
Nick: “”I understand what you’re saying, Tommy. Me? Sometimes I get depressed thinking I’m going to have to be doing this for the next 20 years. I get a high when I sell a car, my high lasts about twenty minutes. It’s the same old spiel every day. When no one is coming in, I’m sending emails or texts to those that show online interest.””
Tommy: “At least being a cop is never boring. When I make a bust or help someone I feel like I’m doing something important. Most days nothing big happens so I write speeding tickets. I wear the vest every day, all day. You never know when you’re going to get a domestic. Those are the worse.”
Nick: “You got a lot of guts to do what you do. I couldn’t do it. I’ll seel cars any day.”
Tommy: “When you put someone it the right car and get them a good deal on a trade-in, that’s important.”
Nick: “I wish I could do that more often. The manager preaches stick them in a car, it doesn’t matter if they need it or not. I fight with him for every cent when I’m trying to help a customer get a fair shake on a trade-in. It grinds on me.”
Tommy and Nick have different jobs and their attitude to their jobs as as different as their jobs. We got work for most of our lives. It’s a good idea to find work that is meaningful or to make the work that you’re doing more meaningful.
Three Engaging Questions:
- If you had a dollar for every time someone said, “I could’ve gone pro if not for ___,” how close would you be to retiring early?
- Is your job more like writing speeding tickets or convincing someone a 2019 sedan is “the one”?
- What would you rather sit through—an awkward work meeting or an 8-year-old’s baseball game where nobody remembers the score?
Discover more from Optimistic Beacon
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
