As I was getting ready for school today, the phone rang. Not mom, checking to see that we all got out of bed, but the father of a classmate of my son and heir. He needed to know if we could collect his young man after school until their caregiver could take over: the boy’s mother had some non-routine medical situation that needed dealing with.
So we took that on, much to my amusement (the overheard conversations were priceless) and I realized one of the reasons I like my situation, non-remunerative as it is. People can ask me for help and I can give it. I don’t have to say I have other commitments. If I need to read with someone who needs some extra time, I can do that. If I need to back up someone for child care, odds are good that I’m available.
I’ve say through plenty of meetings, handled late-night pages, talked users through tech support issues. This isn’t necessarily more fun, intrinsically, but it feels more valuable.