A Vestivus for the Rest of Us

Remember 13 years ago? If not, maybe find another blog. This one may not be as relatable to you. (C’mon man. It’s got “bifocals” right in the title. Bifocals!)

13 years. It’s a long time. It’s also what ye ol’ internet says that the average person will spend at work in their lifetime. 13. Years.

Work is hard. Not so hard that it shouldn’t happen, but hard enough that someone has decided that we should be paid for whatever our work is.

So, with work being…uh…work, and it getting so much of our time, work needs to also be enjoyable.

There are a lot of ways to have so much of work time also be enjoyable. For example, choosing a career that matches your values and that you can do well. Purpose. It’s very gratifying. In general, social workers choose the field because of the outcomes, not the incomes (that’s right…still trying to make that phrase take off). But, social workers certainly aren’t the only ones who should work to maintain their work/fun balance.

There are endless amounts of ways to have a congenial day whilst still doing hard work. This one time, an idea was struck that maybe it would be funny to wear sweater vests at work in honor of Tim’s birthday. Tim championed the sweater vest and all that it stands for.

So we did. The first year, several of us wore the vest on 03/28. We didn’t tell Tim that this was a thing; and in the spirit of all great surprises, he hadn’t worn one that day. We sharked to and fro by his cubicle, wishing him a happy birthday. He wasn’t catching on, but was thankful for all the greetings. Hannah had to leave the office for a visit, and didn’t want to miss Tim figuring it out. So, we marched to his cubicle and just stood there. Staring at him. “Knowing” spread across his face, “Oh. I get it.” I think he was happy about it.

The next year there more vests. And even more in each year that followed. It’s a silly holiday, but it has induced smiles every year.

International Sweater Vest Day has become a thing. Sure, I felt more than horrible when I’d heard that Nancy Bolen (quite possibly the kindest person I know) thought that it was a real holiday and asked her son in law to announce it. On the flights he pilots. On a commercial airline. (Bwah!) But the movement has continued.

Last year, the farthest vesting was in Scotland. (Fun fact: I was trying to say this the other day and accidentally called “Scotland” “Stockton.” Geez, Adams!) There’s been multigenerational vestings, vests taken on vacations so participation doesn’t get skipped, and Matt Grigsby saying that he’s having trouble getting his International Sweater Vest Day cards out in time.

It’s been more than fun. Please don’t hesitate to join us. Goad your distant friends to join us to. Also, please find ways to make time with your work families it’s own kind of enjoyable. You’re getting 13 years with them, make sure there’s some fun in there.