All I want for Christmas is a little help

Yet another industry has sounded the alarm on workforce shortages and unsustainable working conditions ths past week.

This time it's the air traffic controllers, the ones who monitor the nation's airspace and are responsible for ensuring that planes don't collide in mid-air or crash on the landing strip.

The headline in the New York Times read: "Drunk and Asleep on the Job: Air Traffic Controllers Pushed to the Brink."

The situation is dire, according to veteran air traffic controllers who have submitted hundreds of complaints to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over the past two years. They've identified dangerous staff shortages, colleagues working under the influence of drugs and alcohol, mental health issues and deteriorating buildings among the problems plaguing their positions.

I read this article on Saturday, as I was waiting for lunch at The Garden Gate. At that point I had accosted my husband to help me finish some overdue projects at the Carrington office before heading to Rugby to cover the CNDC girls basketball tournament.

I had already worked about 70 hours since the previous Sunday and was (sadly) looking forward to cleaning out my fridge and scrubbing the kitchen floor at home the next day, on my supposed "day off." My husband, however, was working for me on his only day off.

I'm not telling you this because I am proud of the schedule we keep. I'm sharing this because, we, like the air traffic controllers, know what it feels like to be loaded to the max.

I often joke about spiking my coffee mug, going home and taking a three-hour nap mid-day or locking myself in my office and letting out a good scream to ease the pressure.

As with anything else, we seem to be split in two camps: the first consists of those of us who work as many hours as it takes to get the job done and wonder how we can find a few more people to help share the workload. Many of us put in extra hours "moonlighting" for a friend or family member on nights and weekends while maintaining a full-time day job or often complete the work of two (or more) people.

Those of you in the second camp, the ones who have it all figured out, I want to hear from you. Clearly, I'm doing it all wrong. There must be a magic formula, and I want to know the secret!

I already have a family, a home and more than enough "stuff." The Christmas miracle for me this year (and apparently for all the air traffic controllers) would be a little more help.

Maybe there's an air traffic controller out there who would rather manage the schedules of journalists with more than enough places to be and not enough hours in the day (or dollars to spare). Perhaps they can put their logistical genius to work finding a way to get the printed newspapers to the local post office on time every week. Now that would be a miracle!