8th
Light on the salt
Thing about salt is that not enough and the food is bland, too much and the food is nearly inedible. Today, salt is so plentiful that its dirt cheap. Like water, without it we would die. My values need to be my salt in my life, to avoid being bland and indifferent. When food is without salt it may suffice to eat but it will not be devoured with great urgency. People in our lives can be indifferent to the world around us. We can be the salt that may knock them from indifference.
Ways that I have lived my values this week
•Trust: When I worked with my wife to take drywall down stairs, I trusted that she could handle the job and knew her physical limits.
•Fidelity: I worked my normal shift on a snow day, short of 2 hours in the morning, and made it to attend all my meetings via phone conference.
•Contrition: Saturday morning I spent time reflecting over the years, the things that I was least proud of, or embarrassed of and asked for my ego to let go.
•Duty: Shoveled out of the snow to make it in to work when work was called off on Wednesday.
•Dignity: I graciously attended Sr. Carol’s Jubilee. I let my wife off up to the door to avoid walking through the slush.
•Idealism: Though times are tough emotionally, I stayed positive for my wife.
•Humor: Made a joke about ”microphone giving feedback.”
•Individual Responsibility: I made sure the items I promised to get done were able to be completed such as arranging web demos for other departments.
•Teamwork: I nominated people from an department to receive recognition at work for the dedication to getting to work on the snow day.
Ways that I may have not lived my values this week
•Trust: I had temporarily changed the security settings for an associate so they could view a screen within the system.
•Fidelity:I said to my wife that I would take my car to Lemke’s to have the back up light fixed. I have not yet done so.
•Contrition: I did not show sensitivity when a co-work informed me they would be out because a family member had passed away.
•Duty: I did not participate enough in the Baptism of George Jacob
•Dignity: When eating at the church on Saturday Night, I spilled food on my tie in front of people.
•Idealism: I made a rather telling look in a meeting when someone suggested that I gather materials from my boss. I should keep those thoughts to myself and get my nonverbal communication under control.
•Humor: I tried to make Sherri laugh about her “microphone giving feedback.” and she didn’t get it. I need to be more careful about the humor as to avoid hurting feelings or saying things I don’t mean.
•Individual Responsibility: I need to make more visible progress with my projects at work and make my progress more visible to my manager and my peers.
•Teamwork: I passed on a few tasks that people are struggling with returning. I have one project that I basically acted as the interface for the tester and the developer when I should have encouraged the communication between the two.
These are heart-felt candid observations of my own life. I hope to log for you, and myself, a track of hopeful improvement.
