Home Stretch

I am either two or four weeks away from returning to my beloved office. These details away do not agree with me and take a toll on my physical and mental health. Oddly, they have helped my case for redemption for whatever slings and arrows were tossed my way. My dedication to the public and ease with the public were noticed on this trip away.

I broke my previous record of fixing something that was messed up for 41 years with a case that had been messed up for at leat 50 years. Sometimes the applicant and the government talk past each other and both sides forget the path of least resistance. If I ever had my doubts about the value of personal touch this trip cured me of those delusions. In this case the applicant was given the choice of the local office or HQ. The applicant chose to come to HQ and I personally arranged the rest. I calmed the applicant and told him that if he is comfortable with this officer he can stay with us or I can make arrangements closer to home. The officer who was helping me was really top notch and the applicant decided to stay with us. A lifetime in circles will be resolved with a friendly voice and a warm hand shake.

I have spent time working with peers in other agencies with high profile cases. The idea is to stay organized and to get these cases moving in the right direction. In many cases the needs are modest and quickly resolved. In general a warm greeting and a sincere desire to serve are all that is needed.  The professionals on the other end are appreciative of getting things done. Sadly, I had to intervene and do the work myself on some of these cases as the officer was just not as adept as the circumstances required. In these situations getting to the bottom requires multiple answers.

Still my big office and familiar legal foils are on the horizon. It is possible that I got miscast as I entered. However, even my deadliest critics always granted me high productivity because the numbers were there and I had a desire to learn.

I miss the Surf Music and the big pictures of John Wayne, Telly Savalas and Mc Cloud in my office. Maybe I will add a Charlton Heston from Planet of the Apes or a Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison to my office.
My stash of Diet Mountain Dew is ready and I have bags of my favorite chips waiting.

There is a good chance I will be stuck for two extra weeks. In the big scheme it matters not one bit because home is near. I will see friends that I missed for a while. I made a few new friends on this trip but I belong home with the crazy stories and high pressure. A wolf belongs in the woods and I belong in the bare knuckle world of legal mayhem.

Waiting for Ducky to say something about Surf Music. I brought the stuff to Guyana where the locals didn't get it. However cruising down a deserted river listening to classic surf music was great. For reasons I don't grasp the locals never let me drive.