Like Father, Like Son

Children learn from their parents. They are little sponges that absorb things even when you don't think they are listening. Yesterday my husband went to my son's house to help him put vinyl siding on his shed. It was a big project and they worked all day on it. I was invited over for dinner and when I arrived, my grandson ran out to greet me. Behind his ear was a pencil, just like the contractors have. It looked so cute. I asked him why he had the pencil behind his ear and he told me that his daddy does this when he works. My grandson was helping the men do their work and was even pretending to mark out the plans with his pencil. He wore his pencil proudly all day, knowing that he worked hard and helped out.

Suspenders

Fashion changes from generation to generation. When I look back on historical pictures I cannot fathom how women wore long dresses and high necklines during the summer or how men were always expected to wear a suit and tie. Dress codes have become more lax and things that were popular no longer are. I was driving the other day and saw an old man wearing suspenders. My father also wears them. As belts became more popular suspenders phased out. Now they are mostly worn with a tuxedo. Suspenders made sense. They held your pants up without putting the pressure on your stomach that a belt does. It was purposeful and comfortable. They suspended your pants from your body. Your shoulders had a job. No our shoulders are unemployed and our pants are pushed into our bodies.

Complacent

My boss has always been complacent. Ever since I know her she has never been involved in the day to day running of her business. Previous to working here I worked at another doctor's office where he was able to do any job that his staff did. He could do dictation, enter claims, file, enter labs and also do maintenance around the office. My current boss knows zero. She does not even have a password into the computer system. She delegates everything to me or the bookkeeper. Since her "bad judgement" event, she is now trying to learn what is going on and wants things her way. Forms that have been used for 20 years are no longer to her liking. Tried and true methods bother her. If I was young I would be upset, but since I am older I think of it as a live improvisation show. She is having daily meltdowns and trying to put blame on people. I just sit there, shake my head and wonder how many more acts the show will have.

Speak Your Mind

Years ago I remember my mother saying that as she got older she was able to speak her mind. I did not really know what she meant until I got older. I am now at the age where I will speak my mind. I no longer let people say things that I feel are untrue or unkind. Years ago I would listen and think to myself that it was wrong. Now I will voice my opinion. I am never nasty, although sometimes I may come off as being a bit blunt. Yesterday at the town pool there were 2 examples of "mind speaking". Two separate people said things that did not need to be said. There was no purpose for their comments. The people to whom these comments were directed, spoke up immediately and squashed the conversation. I was pleased to see that. The day went on as usual, but the two "offenders" knew that their behavior was wrong and hopefully will be more mindful from now on.

Meat

Humans are carnivores. We are meant to eat meat. We are not supposed to live on leaves. Last night I went with my family to a Bar-B-Que restaurant where we ordered a platter of assorted meats. Ribs, chicken, brisket, sausage and pork appeared on a large plate. Everything was brown. No greenery was on the plate for garnish. It was not necessary. We ate like caveman. The side dishes were homemade. I left with a full belly and a smiling face.

Buffet

I love Chinese buffets but I only go to them once or twice a year. Last weekend I went to one that my sister always goes to. When I walked in I think I heard the angels sing. It was the best buffet I had ever seen. It looked neat and clean and had a tremendous variety of food. I was so excited that I did not pace myself correctly and got full too fast. I was actually eating the food as I was walking around getting more food. Last night my sister called me and invited me to go to the buffet with her and my brother in law. I gave my husband his dinner and jumped ship. This time I was prepared and had a game plan. I ate, rested, walked and ate again. We stayed for almost two hours and when we left I was satisfied with how it went. No regrets this time.

Fighting To Work

Yesterday there was a bit of a blow up in my office. My two receptionists were arguing about who works more. Now here is where it gets absurd. They were not arguing about who works more in the sense of one doing more and one doing less. The fight was that both of them wanted to do more to help the other out with their workload and were not allowed to. The conversation went like this, "You never let me answer the phones when you are busy". "Well, you never let me do your timesheets when you have a desk load of work". One called the other hostile and that is when I intervened. I explained that wanting to help each other is a good thing and that they both have such a high work standard that they feel like they are not pulling their weight when they are not in control of the work flow. I told them that they have to relax with each other and not resent the other person for wanting to help. I told them that they were both ridiculous and anyone watching the argument would have laughed at them. Things settled down and we are back in business...for now.