A Moment

The next morning I got to work early.  I set my coffee on my desk and called up the website to punch in. A shudder passed through me.  

When I had moved from clinical work to training, I thought I was done with paperwork. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The form I had to complete that day was online. I’d completed it several times before, but never on the first try.

They wanted the usual information: goals for each hour of training; a pre-test, a post-test, and an evaluation form; and copies of all texts used.   They also wanted my personal cell phone number and a promise to be available 24/7 to answer any questions they might have; a description of my agency including an organizational chart, and high school and college transcripts and/or military service records for all employees above or below manager level; and a lock of my hair and a blood sample to be sent separately at my expense.

The form ended with two warnings. Cutting and pasting from previous applications would disqualify me and my agency.  They would freeze my assets, imprison my children, and kick my dog.  The form suggested I not exaggerate on my resume because ‘they had ways of knowing’ who was lying.  They would be monitoring my phone calls and internet activity.

I sighed, started to punch in, and changed my mind.  “Today I’m going to drink my coffee before I go to work,” I said to my laptop. “Today I’m going to enjoy a moment before I climb the mountain.”

Today I will enjoy a moment before I climb the mountain.

Dogged Determination ©2018 & 2019 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/