the FOOL

paraphrased from a very incomplete website, re-printed in a way which casts me in a good light: one shameless and unobjective interpretation of the fool archetype and what it has meant to humanity throughout the ages and what it might mean now to one tiny person quitting her job:

Fool is the teacher. With his lessons, he awakens us to who we are and allows us to explore the true purpose of our soul's journey . . .

His energy allows us to break out of old stereotypes, whether they've been imposed by ourselves, our families, our culture, or circumstance. This is the energy that opens the world of limitless possibilities and it behooves us all to work with it before it destroys us . . .

Someone kindly requested that I remove comments about "fools" from my previous post. Instead, I chose to look at the term "fool" and how it might, in a grand stretch of the imagination, apply to the way I used it there.

In my years of working life, I have constantly been attracted to these "great opportunities" which are very exciting and where I have to become a trail blazer, taking on lots of responsibility, doing the vision work in addition to the nuts and bolts work of making these great opportunities into potential careers all the while working myself to the bone for little to no pay (that seems to be how "great opportunities" work). Each time it has failed. Often it is because the people I work for take issue with my strong personality, grand ideas and potent but well-intentioned critiques. It has taken me a long time to realize that I am not really a good employee. Not because I don't work hard, but because I work as hard for other people as I would if I was working for myself and then end up resenting the fact that they can't see, don't appreciate it, won't compensate me for it, etc. etc.

So, the fools with good intentions I have been working for, have played exactly the role outlined in the above quote: I am leaving this job with a much clearer view of the true purpose in my life, a much clearer understanding of the journey I have been on and how my current difficulties fit into the bigger story of my life. I am also breaking out of old self/other/circumstantial stereotypes by leaving this job now. I believe if I had waited much longer, the job I was doing would have destroyed me. And I would have again been in the position of having to put the pieces back together. Instead I am moving into a place of limitless possibilities.

I have worked for many fools with good intentions and each has taught me valuable lessons that have brought me to this great place of transformation and awakening. I feel like a new person.

I'm happy to be moving on, happy I took this particular and most recent "great opportunity", happy I gave it my absolute best shot and most of all I'm happy that I recognized the right time to get out of a situation that was detrimental to my health and well-being on many levels. (Not the fault of any one person, but a circumstance of a difficult situation where no one seems to be very comfortable or feel really good).