Recently I posted about my new job eating at my conscience. Today, I found peace with it.
Today, we had a “team bonding session.” All day. For the most part, it was interesting. 20-40 year olds playing tunnel ball? Classic! Finishing the day at Darling Harbour with bowling and an open bar tab? Even better!
We had a moment where the woman in charge said, “There are 26 of you in the room. How many of you have known each other for how long?” A few knew a couple for over 10 years, while the majority of us were 2 and under. Those who had been in Tunneling for a long time had to pair with those of us who are new to it.
And this is where I found peace.
I’m going to call the man B. B has worked in the Tunneling sector for over 20 years. When myself, M and N were sitting around him, I felt like we were the young children of a tribe sitting around a Tribal Elder. For a man who looks quite gruff and intimidating, he was spoke so gently, and we hung off his words.
M is an engineer, and mentioned that he wanted to learn everything he could about Tunneling from B. B spoke of the “brotherhood” when you’re working with blokes for a long period of time, of “mateship”, of how there’s something special about being underground.
Then he spoke of the earth – of the clay, of the different types of dirt, and the layers underneath the earth’s surface.
And it clicked. I wanted to give him a hug, and I wanted to cry. Here is this man, in his mid-50s, who has a unique way of looking and honouring the earth. Not a Pagan, but sees tunneling as beautiful.
I was so at peace once I reflected on his words. Listening to him talk, I felt so honoured. I was on “cloud nine”, shall we say.
If I need to continue to work in an environment that hurts Mother Earth, at least one of those in charge is a man who respects Her, in his own way.
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