Nice Work, If You Can Get It

It occurred to me today that there are very few jobs available which last forever. In today's world, you interview, you are hired and then one day, in the words of Martha Stewart, you "just don't fit in." Or, something better comes along and you move on. Either way, it's rarely thought of as a permanent situation.

Today, however, I can confidently name two jobs that are almost always held for life: Supreme Court Judge and Parent. Both are by appointment, but only one requires confirmation hearings...unless you count dinner with prospective in-laws. Both jobs require wisdom and the dispensing of justice. Regardless of popularity, both parents and Supreme Court Justices report for work every day and try their best to carry on.

Both professions involve ruling on weighty issues. For the Justices, their decisions affect our entire nation. Decisions made by parents often affect the entire family. In both situations, suffice it to say that lives are touched.

Despite the importance of both professions, it is incredibly difficult to lose either job, whether it is by impeachment or termination of rights.

Both are honorable professions that people aspire to, perhaps from a very young age.

There are also great differences between these professions. Supreme Court Justices have large staffs of eager clerks and assistants to do their bidding. Parents often work alone or with assistance from spouses and children.

The primary difference between these two professions is the way we treat them at the end of their "term." When a Supreme Court Justice decides to retire or becomes very ill, media and politicians hover around them like vultures and speculate on when the end will come.

When a parent's time is nearly over, family and friends gather to support them and each other and realize that nobody on earth can ever really replace them.

I'm proud to have one of these jobs, even if it is the lower profile one.