It's all about Donna

There’s a saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

As of late, it seems as though my good deed efforts meet with nothing but punishment. I have several recent incidents that support this theory.

The Old Arabs

I take in two elderly Arabian horses with the understanding that if it doesn’t work out, they will be taken back. Out of the clear blue, several weeks after they arrive, I get an opportunity to acquire a young horse suitable for what I want to do… carriage driving with some riding from time to time. As long as the old guys are here, I cannot bring home anymore horses. The short story, I get yelled at and am told that I am appalling by this turn of events.

No good deed goes unpunished.

My Day Job

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work from home since the first of the year. My employer encourages and endorses it. I am limited by the hiring freeze and budget to where I can only bill for 32 hours each week. This was not a problem until today. I communicate openly with my managers and don’t have an issue with checking in periodically off the clock to make sure someone doesn’t need my immediate help. I was informed, not asked, to start coming into the office more than one day each week; now I must drive 80 miles three days EVERY week. This is so I can ‘network’ and build relationships. Right. I’m not buying it. If they wanted me to be involved, they would have included me a long time ago instead of shutting me out. The managers I support are happy with my work and tell my immediate manager so. I have worked my butt off for the last year at the lowest hourly rate I have made in the last 10 years and without benefits (I took a $20k pay cut because I believed in the opportunity ahead of me), only to have the one real perk I can enjoy, working from home, taken away.

Yeah… no good deed goes unpunished.