My Accidental Job

It was 1971 and I had a job lined up that summer to work with my uncle. I didn’t happen. The project he was anticipating fell through. I was now jobless.

So, I went to see my girlfriend who was a waitress in the Silver Dollar Saloon at Cedar Point. She talked me into stopping at the employment office to see if they needed help. YES – be here Monday morning at 8am (but I would have to shave my beard and cut my long hair – hippie stuff). Was this girlfriend worth it? Needless to say my mom and dad were ecstatic to see all that hair on the floor.

Monday morning, July 4th, the busiest day of the year, I reported to the employment office. Maybe I’ll spend the summer emptying trash cans or guessing people’s weight or age. Nope!.... I was to be a river boat captain! Report to the costume department to get sized up for your captain’s outfit. WHAT! I had never driven a boat before!

The first 15 minute trip around the lagoon – I sat in the front seat. Second time around I drove the boat with 50-60 people on board. There is no track on the bottom of the waterway. You are really driving a real... big ... barge with ornamental upper structure and fake smoke stacks and a water wheel behind that did nothing. Third time around I was giving the dialogue (spiel). On the right, a beaver is cutting down a tree. See it fall – DUH. Fourth time around I’m driving and talking. Those poor passengers. They couldn’t wait to get off and back to having “fun”.

But then a miracle happened. The young man who was teaching me (a Michigan state art student) informed me that I now knew the official dialogue. Then he started teaching me the dialogue he was working on. We changed the story lines completely. We laughed so hard that day. Each time we went around together we would try new lines and see how the passengers reacted. It was no longer a narrative about the animations along the river bank. By late afternoon we created such a fun and hilarious dialogue that people were clapping and wanted to go around again. We never told the other river boat captains what was going on after we left the dock. They were totally mystified. What are they doing to these people that is causing so much clapping and laughter. Bribery?

What could have been a horrible, monotonous job turned into a joyful summer. I gained so much confidence in my speaking skills, crowd handling and even equipment breakdowns. Once, we ran out of gas at the narrowest part of the river and blocked the whole ride for an hour (no walkie-talkies). Then there was the drunk who was sure he could do a better job. So I handed him the microphone – dead silence. He sat down.

There are three passions we are born with – Play, Work, and Love. Children love to play. Then we send them to school – work. Then hormones kick in and suddenly those icky girls aren’t so bad. In fact....

Let’s look for ways to mix those three elements together. Take that work and look at it from a play perspective. Redesign you attitude, change the rules, surprise everyone you work with. Bring your coworkers a simple gift – a flower, a note of gratitude. Write a quick note to your boss, thanking him/her for the opportunity to work for them. Thank them for the guidance they have provided. If you are the boss, a simple, individual thank you to each employee will change the mood of each one. Smile everyday to everyone you meet – even complete strangers on the sidewalk. Be genuine, happy, and a real person.

“But I have a really boring job.” Maybe. So change your job or turn that job into something bigger. Even the tone of your voice can change every interaction on a phone call. Ever get a telemarketing call where the person is so genuinely upbeat that you were at least willing to listen? Imagine a salesman starting off with “I don’t suppose you would like to buy my product?” You’re right – I’m not interested. But if they started off with “This product has changed my life”. I’m curious, especially if he sounds believable. You are in control! You can share your heart and gifts with the world or hold them inside until they spoil.

That smile, the joyful walking, the eyes really looking at others, you have just combined play, work and love!

I was terrified of giving the same, boring dialogue to all those passengers 3 times an hour for usually 10 hours. That’s thirty times a day, six days a week. That’s 180 spiels a week – over the ten weeks (1800 spiels). At 50 people per boat load that works out to 90,000 people I was supposed to “entertain” that summer.

We changed the dialogue – the spiel. It changed our attitude towards being a river boat captain and brought joy to everyone on those trips (except the drunk). We made the trip playful. No longer was the beaver cutting down that tree – again. It turns out that the “tree” he was gnawing on must be a “rubber tree” giving him so much trouble. The gunfire between the settlers and the Indians was noisy, but we had everybody ducking so they didn’t get hit in the crossfire. We paid attention to the weather, the mood of the passengers. How many little kids were on board? Was it hot and would everyone like to get splashed by some cannon fire – steer the boat a little to the right. The blast of water from an underwater fountain hit the inside of the canopy and everyone got soaked, Every trip around, we made special. No two were alike. I loved it – they loved it. Some even said it was the best ride of the day.

You were born to bring joy and love into this world! Go for it!