Long ago when I was a young civil servant I got very upset about something at work - I cannot remember what
An older hand, technically junior to me, took me off to the pub for a lunchtime break. He was the kind of man who had a hand made calendar in his drawer on which he ticked off the days to his retirement
After letting me sound off he gave me some fatherly advice
You have been here long enough to know that the Civil Service is an organisation that lives by rules
Some rules are made to be bent
Some are made to be broken
Some must be adhered to in all circumstances
The trick is, to know which is which
I still do not always know which is which, but I find the advice very comforting
