"Prostituting" yourself out

Nice title right? A friend of mine told me a LONG time ago that working at this one job I had - I was prostituting myself out (i.e. doing it for the money). This past week, a new work colleague said she felt she was prostituting herself out. Wow! She was feeling tension because her job function had recently changed and she wasn’t feeling comfortable in her new role. However, as she put it, “how do I complain considering the state of the economy, at least I have a job!” I guess that’s one way to look at it. I’m not sure that I agree considering that old job I had as referenced above. I don’t think that type of compromise is good for a person’s body and soul.

Anyhow, I asked if she wanted to start to work on some of my division’s marketing strategy since, we were severely under staffed (me and my coordinator) and my division “won” big time with the new proposed feed-in tariffs for solar energy. BTW I also pulled in more folks from another division in support functions that day as well…..lots of work is good but….geez – live/work balance is important to me these days.

During my conversation with my colleague and new friend, I recalled an old story that changed my life. Back in grad school I became disillusioned with people – mostly because I didn’t think my graduate supervisor was supporting me in my endeavours. Anyhow, when I handed in my thesis, I said – see you at the end of August and flew off to Scandinavia for most of the summer. My goal was to support the Canadian contingency at the Women’s World Cup (soccer), be a photographer for the event and then get to Finland to present my thesis at a conference. After the soccer event and before the conference, I packed up my backpack and headed to the Arctic Circle to see the Midnight Sun. I ended up in Narvik, Norway. On my way back to Helsinki, I got stuck overnight just outside of the Arctic Circle on the border of Sweden and Finland.

It was not just overnight – it was outside next to a river basically in the middle of nowhere with a guy who had been in a mental hospital for 10 years because……..he hated women.

Well I guess everything turned out ‘cause I’m here writing about it. In my next post, as Paul Harvey use to say… “the rest of the story”. You just know it’s going to be all the feel good mumbo jumbo right!!