(detail) General Laundry Building, NOLA * by K.Kersting

I may have found more enjoyment during my many years as an Employee, had there been such an exuberant doorway at any of the buildings where I once earned a paycheck! One of my first jobs, after graduating from college, unknowingly set me on my present literary path. I was one of the new hires gathered into a meeting room with the CEO. He was a wealthy man who was golfing buddies with the, then, seated POTUS. He asked us “what is the purpose of this company?”. After listening to several idealistic answers, he said “No. The purpose of this company is to make money. Your job is to help that to happen.”

Alas, the liberal arts program under which I studied focused more on such matters as form follows function and the nuances of societal stratification; debates on the works of Huxley, Plath and Alvin Toffler eclipsed business theory and the psychological impact of certain colors was most distracting. Now, armed with a new, sobering directive, my logical reaction was to enhance the capitalistic focus of my Work Day with a purely creative endeavor. I began keeping journals of all the odd, humorous, intriguing and soul-sucking moments - and fellow employees - which populated those hours. Over the years, employers and cities changed. Large corporations, non-profits, small studios - even a stint working as a bookkeeper in a brewery - all brought a new wealth of character studies, dialog and Details. The alchemy of blending some of those journal entries into a fictional story resulted in the plot of the manuscript posted in “Foolishly Free”.

While you enjoy Chapters 2 & 3, I’m curious if anyone else has found an unexpected “perk” from their employee endeavors (criminal activities do NOT count). Send me a note and I’ll share those tales, soon.