Leap Day by MT Noggin

LITERATURE OUT LOUD

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That melodic tune must mean it’s time for another episode of philosophy by Markus Tenacious Noggin. I do have an extraordinarily large head, and I do stick to a point, even when other might wisely give up long before I do. That might be why my mamma named me Markus Tenacious Noggin. MT Noggin at yer service.

Welcome to leap year. You also git to injoy "leap day" this week, which I call "work an extra day for no payday". Not me, of course, but most of us sheeple will go to work on leap day not thinking about the fact we are workin' an extra day we didn't work last year for the exact same pay as last year. Did you get a raise this year equal to another day's pay? Then yur workin' for free.

I work on a contract of so many days a year, so my daily rate stays the same. I'll finish working in the exact same amount of days as I did last year, but I'll be done a day earlier this year. I won't git paid any more money, but I'll be done a day earlier. Just another day to sit back and enjoy the sunshine and contemplate the money I'm not makin that day. But at least I won't be workin. But most of you will work that extra day fer free.

My salary stayed the same, but yur's'll go down one two-hundred and sixtieth if you work 52 five day weeks in a year. If you make a hundred thousand a year, that's about four hundred dollars. If you make half that, then you gave up two hundred dollars this week to help adjust the calendar.

But,MT, you may be saying, we would be working fifty-two weeks anyway. It doesn't matter if there is an extra day or two thrown in there.

But think about it. You may think you get paid holidays, but maybe it's just another day yur not getting paid. Unless you get extra for showin' up that day and workin', yur just cutting down the number of days you can earn money.

That's what makes me laugh about people gettin' all excited about holidays. We work from day to day, lookin' forward to those special holiday breaks, or to another three day weekend, but unless you have the choice to go to work and make more money, yur just giving up another day of pay.

I'm surprised we don't have more holidays, and most of the people I work with gripe about not havin' any holiday breaks in March.

Or think about it this way. You work a certain amount of weeks a year. Adding a day doesn't change that. But last year, you didn't work on leap year day, and you got paid the same for what yur gettin' paid this February. Where's the extra pay for the extra day?

I know this might hurt yer head just thinkin' about it, but every four years, most of us work an extra day for the same pay.

Here's another way to think about it. If you are on a daily contract like me, workin' just so many days a year, takin' a holiday, which I don't get paid fer, means I have to work one day more before my contract is up. Not havin' a holiday in March means I'm done a day or two earlier than otherwise. This is one of the reasons I hate spring break, or huntin' vacation, or harvest holidays or beet vacation. Just means I have to wait until later in the year to finish up my contract of so many days a year.

The rest of you don't even think about it.

Most of us just go to work everyday we're told to, and rejoice at the sign of a break, when really, a break should mean we could have the potential of making some more money. In other words, we get happiest when we have to take time off and not get paid.

I do believe in time off, but if the time off isn't paid, then it's just sittin' around. This does make me jealous of those who have paid holidays. If you git two weeks of paid holiday, those are days yur not working but still getting paid. But the real test would be if you decided to cash those days in, could you still go to work and get paid more?

Workin's a funny thing. Most of us define our lives around it. We are what we do. We call ourselves bankers, or farmers, or liars, but mostly we are workers. As long as we show up and do the work, we'll git paid. Walkin' around sayin' yer a liar without doin' the work equals no pay, so whatever you say you are, remember this week to show up and do the work, even if it isn't lyin.

You might as well show up and work. If ya don't, you might lose the opportunity to be workin' at all. So an extra day every four years don't seem like much sacrifice.

Just remember, on leap day, yur probably leapin' straight into a day without pay.

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