In August the 5 year anniversary of me working for my company rolled around. Five years. The longest I've been in any one place working or learning in my adult life.
It has been good. The first four years were steady and routine. We had one contract that I primarily worked on, with occasional jaunts to do emergency response work. In the last year we lost two contracts and gained three or four more (two of which I work on steadily). The last year has been a roller coaster ride settling in to the new contracts, and that ride continues on into 2011. Still, this job has been good to me.
I knit at lunch and my coworkers are extremely bemused by my hobby. Travel has not been a constant, but is often an enjoyable break from a desk job. Office politics are essentially nil. There's one coworker I'd rather be without, but I try to take him with the tablespoon of salt that is necessary and go on with my life, disallowing him power over my emotions.
At our Holiday lunch paid for by the company, everyone reaching a 5-year increment received a little plaque and a pin recognizing their service. Five years earns you a tiny ruby in a pin. In terms of metaphysics, it is believed that rubies improve motivation and the setting of goals; the stone of love, energy, passion, power, and a zest for life.
I'll take that :)
