The Paper Pusher

My mum, brother and I spent a great deal of my childhood and teenage years teasing my father about being a typical public servant - someone who pushes pieces of paper around the desk in a fluff and looking busy. Peals of laughter always followed when we joked about the paper pushing, the tea lady and her tea trolley, unfathomable amounts of unnecessary stationery, delegation of the highest order. We would laugh until tears rolled down our cheeks. Even dad had a chuckle (which was very hard to illicit so it usually encouraged the merryment to a a feverish pitch.

The greatest laugh ever had was on Dad's last day before retiring. We were absolutely convinced that dad would arrive home that night with his plush, leather executive chair trailing along behind. That was dad's first major stationery request when he became a manager. It followed him from office to office. The running joke was that no-one else would ever be able to use it because Dad's behind was permanently imprinted in the seat.

The other great joke was that Dad only ever moved paper around his desk four days a week then flexed off on Friday. Dad was the flexi-time king. Dad never worked on Friday. It was like his sabbath. On Monday to Thursday, he paper pushed, and on the fifth day he rested.

Now that I have recently joined the illustrious ranks of public servant I have found out just how true all those years of teasing were not far off the truth. I have two days off this week for annual leave. I have one (and possibly) two days off next week for flex. I have two trays on my desk in which the paperwork gets routinely moved about. The difference is I do actually work.

Truly.

p.s. Did you know that to get rid of hiccups, you just drink water upside-down???

Countdown to my 30th birthday - 7 days