A thankless job

You know, sometimes, people find themselves with a job that they can't refuse, a lot of times don't want to refuse, but that they know they will be not be thanked or praised for.

Have you seen that movie in which one character asks the other to, say, hang on to their phone so they'll not call this awesome person they went out with just yesterday because that would be too soon or sound desperate? I know, work with me and pretend that's the only phone on earth that has the awesome person's number. Anyway, the person holding the phone has the thankless job of then, being yelled at, threatened and called every vile name under the sun, when they are only performing the task that was specifically required of them.

If you want to go a little more epic on this, think of the Greek hero Ulysses. He was able to pass this one particular island that was a haven for sirens (also called sea nymphs or mermaids). They had such sweet voices that it is said that mariners who heard their songs were lured into grounding their boats on the rocks on which the beautiful nymphs sang. Well, Ulysses was warned about them, but still wanted to hear them sing. So, in order to pass their island in safety, he plugged the ears of his companions with wax and had himself firmly bound to the mast of the ship so that he could hear the songs without danger.

I remember a particular movie depicting this scene, in which you could see, first, Ulysses begging his sailors to free him, then he changes tactics and tries to bribe them, then he just threatens to kill every single one if they don't obey him. Of course, the sailors have wax in their ears and can't hear what he's saying, but they just have to take one look at his face to get the gist of what he's trying so desperately to convey. When they're all safe and away from the mermaids, Ulysses is somewhat ashamed of his behaviour and, of course, glad his sailors didn't listen to him. Yes, it all ended well, but going through it was no picnic for either party.

So, for the record, to my one and only love: You're one heck of a sailor! THANK YOU for tying me to the mast, then letting me get my feet wet before you pulled me back to the boat! The song is really beautiful!!