Marietta

First day in the new office: the time was all spent on enrollment forms, health coverage selections, and various other paperwork. I emailed several clients and told them about my new position, and got several promising replies back. My world is once again turning in greased grooves.

Focusing on the so-called benefits all day, however, had me a little depressed - starting anew at another company puts me back at the "entry level" on perks. Only two weeks vacation a year (which I still have yet to accrue), when I used to have four. It will take me five years to work my way back up to three weeks. No company match on 401(k) deductions, just an annual, performance-based "bonus" deposit. The few windows in my corner office are more like skylights, starting about six feet off of the floor (my old office overlooked a pond with floor-to-ceiling windows).

But it's easy to focus on the negative, especially the part that one has no control over. The co-workers are friendlier, the pay's the same, the opportunities are greater and it's an all-round more fun place to be (even if it is in Cobb County).

As Master Dogen noted, flowers, while loved, fade, and weeds, while despised, flourish.