"Hi Steve, I'm glad I've caught you as this is my last day at work."
Shocked at this disclosure I turned away from my workstation computer screen and replied.
"What do you mean your last day?"
"I've won big time on the lottery." Replied Stefan, a good friend and colleague within the Counselling and Mental Health environment we both worked in.
"You are the last to know and I am so glad to have caught you today to be able to tell you personally."
I immediately rolled backwards on my office chair, swivelled around and rose to my feet. We shared a big congratulatory hug.
"I am just soooo pleased for you." I genuinely said to him while inwardly noticing and pushing firmly aside my mischievous alter ego which of course was a; disappointed it was not me, b; felt it should be me, and c; was whirring away deciding which game I should now play in order to be justifiably at the head of the queue for any generous re-distribution of Stefans newly aquired wealth.
Stefan and his partner Rolly were great guys whom I got to know and became very fond of through both Counselling and Buddhist worlds. Stefan as I learned later, was reaping a handsome return on twenty years, or since the lottery first started, of dedicated and disciplined weekly buying of lottery tickets. His win was no fluke and it was truly heart warming to see well deserved good fortune such as this going to the good guys.
Now. Let us move onto the very next day and a little closer to the heart of this tale.
Again I was at work and had been noticing the severe and upset faces of several of my colleagues as they individually emerged from our team managers office. My heart was sinking as my name was also on this meeting list. It gave a jump and I felt a cold sweat appear as the allotted time came and I entered the office.
A beaming smile greeted me from Dawn, our team manager.
"Hi Steve and am I glad to see you. I have purposely kept your meeting till last as you are the only one I have good news for."
"Aha! Well I am certainly pleased to hear that." I replied as Dawn went on to explain in detail to me what was by now a puzzling conundrum.
As it turned out it was about pay and how our remote paymasters had cocked up by making salary overpayments to various employees. Hence the severe and upset faces of colleagues as they were informed this overpayment was, over the next few months, to be re-paid via deductions in their salary.
"I am happy to inform you Steve," continued Dawn, "that your earlier increase in working hours also got missed by our pay office and they owe you quite a sizeable chunk of back pay which you will receive in this months salary."
I was stunned and initially felt a bit sheepish about the fact I had not personally noticed such loss of pay. I consoled myself with knowledge of how extremely stressful the last few months had been. My much loved and beautiful wife Kate, over those same few months had moved slowly downhill to eventual loss of life courtesy of a vicious cancer. My personal financial situation had been off the radar for some time. My intermittent attendance at work had been a vital support structure.
However; I also, as I heard this good news, vividly remember another strong, almost wondrous and joyful train of thought.
Only the day before I had genuinely and sincerely, despite mishievous silent inner thoughts, congratulated my colleague Stefan on his Lottery win. Now here was I getting mine.
Wow! How weird, how cool, how spooky is that?
Financially this was nothing compared to a lottery win. In my mind however; it was not only equal to Stefans good fortune it also felt like being rewarded, granted a gift or some concrete sign acknowledging cessation of a period of tremendous heartbreak, suffering and grief.
It was not the season of goodwill but it felt like it to me. My Santa Clause had been Stefan and some of his good fortune had rubbed off on me. Been re-distributed if you like.
Hmmmmm! Maybe, just maybe, for once, my much loved but highly mischievous mind knew what it was doing.
Merry Christmas everyone.
