Over the Top Ceremonies
I’m now qualified, after 12 months of not so much work they have given me a certificate that supposedly means I can do stuff and that I know a lot of stuff about stuff.
Anyway, I’m not here to write about a mere piece of paper, but rather the ceremony that comes with such an “achievement”.
Have you ever sat in an awards ceremony listening to seemingly hundreds of people you’ve never seen before, or worse have seen and know you won’t be interested, bang on with a speach that has clearly been writen just to fill in the alloted time? Or worse still a speach from some big wig about the accolades and achievements he has managed to obtain over the years, after surviving numerous heart attacks, bypasses, sideswipes and bumped toes? Or have you sat there wondering at what point you could sneak out without it being “too” inappropriate?
I suppose in situations like these you can be a little thankful that a big deal is made out of your achievements, I feel this is slightly better than just receiving a piece of paper in the mail.
As I work in a small town about 40kms west of Dubbo, in Central West NSW, I didn’t expect quite the ceremony but was rather surprised at the effort put into this occassion.
Heading to work on Wednesday, knowing that today was the day, I was wondering how things would go down. Will it just be my assessor who shows up and gives me a firm handshake and looks at me with that ‘Well done son!’ expression? Would someone else deliver it? Someone higher up maybe? The possibilities…
So it was your normal Wednesday morning, I arrived at work to open up and as I put my key in the lock I saw that there was an envelope inside on the ground, oh, the postie must have come early. So I opened the door, noticed that the envelope wasn’t sealed, and picked it up, shook the leaves and dirt off of it which had blown in under the door, glanced at the front and back and saw that it was blank. Whatever, must be for the boss, I continued to my desk and dumped all my gear.
Of course you’ve guessed it by now, it’s my certificate, I almost cried, this was too much, it’s over the top I thought, the effort they’ve gone to to ensure that I get my certificate and am presented with it appropriately.
This was without a doubt one of my proudest moments.