WORK INTEGRITY

"Character is higher than intellect." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Pride in workmanship is elemental to high-integrity living- not pride in some of our work, or with some of our customers, but across the board kindness, courtesy, and respect. Every job matters, and the details matter, and our attitude matters. And if we do less than our best, then less than our best is the result we will get.

No matter the job, I give it my all.

PREMIUM SALTINES

"It always tasted like love... and made me feel better." 

~Terri Guillemets ~

There are times when a saltine cracker is better than any gourmet meal. It is the perfect crunch- the perfect salt and dryness, and the perfect amount- just enough to abate the pangs of a growling belly. And the package is the same as it's ever been, so there is a familiar homey-ness to saltines as well. We remember them from childhood- the original peanut butter cracker, or with chicken soup on a cold day, or when we were sick... And I've never really thought about it before, but the name is spot on as well- "Premium" is unquestionably what they are .

Saltine crackers carry me back to childhood, and satisfy my longing for comfort and care.

STOP AND LISTEN

"Silence is the universal refuge." 

~ Henry David Thoreau ~

Inner listening is one of the most powerful tools I know for soothing the spirit and calming the soul. To close our eyes and and simply listen is peaceful, settling, and restorative. It's detaching. I am able to stop agitating and let go- into the silence, into the space of non-thinking and focused listening, and into surrender... pure surrender... and peace.

When I am twisted in knots, I can close my eyes, listen peacefully, and untangle.

WHO'S IMPORTANT?

"And oftentimes excusing of a fault

Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse."

~ William Shakespeare ~

It's an insult to be told in a restaurant, a hospital, or a corporation- "I'm so sorry I made you wait. Someone really important (for whatever reason) needed my help and attention."  But we're important too! That feeling is our completely understandable response. It would be enough to say, "I'm sorry I made you wait," and stop there.
     That way, we can keep our dignity, and we needn't be shrunken, discounted, or dissed.

I give everyone I encounter dignity and respect.

LESSONS ABOUNDING

"You learn something every day if you pay attention." 

~ Ray LeBlond ~

Lessons abound in life. No matter what we're going through- what challenges or joys- we are being taught and guided by those we encounter, by circumstances, by all that we can't change, and the small bit that we can. It's up to us to pay attention, to listen, to ask questions when we don't understand, and to do the work to move us forward. In that way, we will reap the benefits of our lessons absorbed.

I am open to learning and self-knowledge in any and all situations.

HOSPITAL STAY

"Every disease is a physician." 

~ Irish Proverb ~

Generally in life, I am busy and moving fast, but I have had a chance this week- not by choice, but by circumstance- to slow way down and experience the passage of time in a hospital setting. And that changes everything. Minutes pass more slowly than usual, maybe because we are dealing with pain and discomfort, while whole days blur together as a blob, peppered with nurse visits, medications, and the high-intensity fear-filled situations that arise because of unfamiliar threats to our sense of how things are supposed to be.
     And what feels a bit like numbness is actually a kind of attunement to the environment, I think. We adapt to patience and acute physical realities erupting and dissolving in waves. It's impossible to attach to anything. A hospital is a great place to learn of the inconstancy of all things. We are ok, and then not ok, grateful and fearful, very sick, and eventually well enough to venture home.

Sickness teaches me gratitude for wellness, and hospitals teach me gratitude for being home.

   

SPRING WEEDING

"Gardens are a form of autobiography." 

~ Sydney Eddison ~

Spring comes bearing gifts, but in return for these gifts, a certain amount of effort is required on our parts- to keep our grass mowed, our gardens weeded, and all of the growing goodness growing in check, else it will become problematic.
     It's an invitation to work outside, a calling, and an urge- to manage what's coming up, plant what we want to nurture, and cut back whatever is toxic or out-of-control.

I carefully maintain all that is growing in my life.