satya & asteya

"commitment to truth"
"nonstealing"

You never know when something is going to hit you out of the blue. But when it does, the 8-Limb path can help you decide immediately how to handle it.

I arrived at work on Monday to begin the new school year. I found out a coworker, who generally works the same days I do, had reported back the PREVIOUS Monday.

I asked her about it. "We report back two weeks before the teachers," she said. "I just figured you had worked something else out with [the Principal]."

hmmm....I've always come back two weeks before school. I look back on the previous three falls and I can see now that I've essentially ripped off the school district by five days each school year. YIKES!

I've talked to a few of my coworkers. Each of them said, "Forget about it, you work hard enough." And that is true. I do have a very strong work ethic. I don't fool around and I work as long as it takes to get stuff done. It's a demanding job. I even mentioned this to my close friend and school board representative. "Forget about it" was also his response.

But I can't. I mentioned working the five the furlough days we've been assigned this coming year. I'm told I can't work those. They want the building closed up those days.

I'll figure out how to make these days up. I really don't think I can do much about the previous years, but I'll figure out how to do the 40 hours I work. It will ride on my conscience until I do.

But my other conundrum is that  I have not mentioned this to my Principal. We don't have a very good relationship anymore. And I don't really respect her as a manager.

So I'm going to sit on this for a bit and see what comes to me about it.