Early Retirement for Injured Federal Employees
We all engage in the act; of sitting or standing but not seeing beyond the bridge of our nose; of being lost in thought, perhaps in a daydream, or for a particularly difficult project that one is focused upon. We even do it while driving, and when we arrive at our destination, we suddenly awaken and reflect: “Gee, how did I ever get here? I don’t even remember stopping at any red lights or at any stop signs.” […]
There is no question about it: It is a complex process. Administratively, it must be passed through multiple levels of agency review in order to get a completed packet — the Supervisor’s Statement (SF 3112B); Agency’s Efforts for Reassignment and Accommodation (SF 3112D); effectively answering the Applicant’s Statement of Disability such that it provides the proper nexus between each of the questions on SF 3112A […]
It is a plagiarized phrase, from a short story written by Brazil’s (often-considered) greatest writer, Machado de Assis. It is that heavy material, where a large quantity of gravel, iron, metals, etc., placed low in a vessel in order to provide stability; the weight itself is what “grounds” the vessel so that the torrents of waves and storms of fury will not topple it. Or, it can refer to the coarse gravel used in order to set railroad tracks, again allowing for stability of a foundation to prevent shifting, sinking or damaging movement. […]
Life presents a wide spectrum; it is the limitation of one’s mind that restricts the expanse of that endless stream flowing on either side. Euphoria rises to the pinnacle of that swinging pendulum; the high that reaches, follows upon a subsequence reversal of the tidal wave, and comes crashing down in fits and tumults of dismaying turbulence. Does it necessarily need to be contained? In modernity, and in society generally, there is a level and pitch of discomfort when intense feelings and exuberant outbursts of excitement surpass a certain arc of acceptability; […]
Is it wrong to ascribe wrong motives? And, unless there emerges practical consequences, does it matter? If a non-family member forms a relationship of friendship with an older person, do we fairly ascribe an underlying intent of malicious deliberation? We may think thus: He is hoping to gain something – gifts in return; an inheritance, perhaps; or, maybe even a more blatant act of stealing or forcibly engaging in a criminal enterprise. On the other hand, there could be a purity of motives – of responding to loneliness and a desire for company; but who in this world ever believes that, anymore? […]
In life, we often fight over things even when the goal has already lost its meaning, or the resources expended far outweigh the benefit to be gained. We take advantage of things, people, and other concerns, despite knowing the consequences of harm to the very essence of our being. It is as if the evolutionary core of our DNA determines our actions, […]
They are left as insignificant cast asides, unused and unusable until an urgency of need mandates their sudden relevance; and in a changed moment, their utility determines the worth and value of existence and retention in the clutter of overabundance. Like the spare tire that is never used, spare parts imply potential need, […]
Delay temporarily suspends for a time in the future; sometimes, at the cost of immediacy of pain, but the human capacity to ignore and obfuscate allows for procrastination to be an acceptable act of non-action. But certain issues defy the control of delay; medical conditions tend to remind us of that, where attempted suspension of dealing with the pain, the progressively debilitating triggers, or the panic attacks which paralyze; they shake us to the core and pursue a relentless path which betrays procrastination. […]