Lettergirl: Spotted on vacation: admirable work ethic.

I wish I could always take 2 weeks of vacation. It really takes me the first five days to sink into it: going with the flow, leaving the expectations behind, appreciating the pace & lack of schedule.

Twice during my week in southwest Florida, I was drawn to noticing someone's work ethic. I'm quirky that way. Seeing someone get it right makes me feel all tingly.

The first was J.N. Ding Darling, whose studio is recreated at the wildlife refuge on Sanibel Island. In addition to being an ecologist, he drew thousands of political cartoons in his career. (I think it was over 15,000.) I got the shivers when I read about him at the exhibit -- maybe because it was earlier in the week and my brain was seeking structure, maybe it was my obsession lately with being more prolific. (I've been dwelling on that for weeks now. Another post or two on that for sure.)

The second was the first base coach at the Class A ball game we went to on Saturday night. (The Minnesota Twins train at Fort Myers in the spring, but we arrived the very day they left for the regular season. Luckily we could still catch a minor league game at their field.) I always feel naive when I realize how many jobs there are that I've never considered, and here was this guy doing one of those jobs and into it. Work was getting me down a bit before we left on vacation -- just the constant need to be thinking ahead when you're self-employed (which was a heck of a lot easier in 1992 when I started, than it is now in 2013). Seeing someone so in tune with his job, so right for it, reminded me that I am right for mine too.