By Alan B. Combs

In some economic climates, any job is a good job. Robert’s job was shoveling out the cattle corral at an Iowa feedlot. Now, this might not seem to be very desirable work, but it is honest, aerobic in nature (when you dare to breathe), and job security is good as long as people can afford to eat beef. Bob considered himself lucky to be employed.

However, there is a cycle to all things and a time for every purpose under Heaven. Times got better and Bob started thinking about a better job. He asked his boss to give him a job recommendation. Now, Bob was a good worker and the boss did not want to lose him, but he could understand Bob’s desire to better himself. The boss was truthful by nature, so he did not let his desire to keep Bob from giving a good recommendation. Consequently, his stock answer to the question about Bob’s work skills was to say, “He is out, standing in what he does.”

Bob Levi reminds us of the following tale.

That story reminds me of the guy who worked for the circus. His job was to shovel the manure from the wild animal cages and from the elephant and horse stalls and from around the circus grounds. He even shoveled up the droppings left during the actual performances. After doing this mundane work and never having any other job for over 25 years, someone asked him why he never left the circus to seek better employment. His reply was, “What? And give up show business?”