The Water Cooler-well kind of
With hurricane Ike and all this week, I have mentioned how crazy things have been at work. Well , to relieve some of the tension and stress of dealing with highly stressed and tense customers, the leadership in our office set up a room called Ike's Snack Shack. They provided chips, candy, granola bars, apples, bananas, pretzels, coco, coffee, punch, and movies to enjoy during our breaks.
I found myself standing around the punch bowl with several members of Management on Friday afternoon. It was interesting to hear the discussions going on. Two of the supervisors were talking the latest standings on the up coming "Amazing Race". Evidently several of them have started a little pool to see who is going to win the race. I found myself talking about the punch. It was delicious. I wanted to know what it was made of, but no one could tell me. I was asking them all who had made it. Suddenly we were all sipping it and trying to figure out what it was made of.
All those who were sipping were enjoying the flavor along with me. One manager commented how they thought it could be improved with a little bit of pineapple juice, a colorful umbrella, and a nice sandy beach. A supervisor commented that it would make a great margarita. My director looked me in the eye and said, " this would be great with a little vodka or a dash of tequila." I smiled back and said, I wouldn't know if that would make it taste better. She stopped and said, " I am telling you, it would taste better." I then went on to inform her that I would just have to enjoy it the way it was, because I would never add those ingredients.
She knew that I would never add those ingredients, but I found it interesting how she would pointedly direct her comments to me. I was just trying to figure out how to turn it into a slushy. I have thought about it often this weekend. We were all tasting the same punch, yet it spurred several different responses.
I find that several things in life are that way. We can all be watching the same movie, listening to the same talk, or observing the same thing together, yet we each pull out of it something completely different. The important thing is that we learn to accept each others view point with out having to change our own. We respect who they are, just not what they may be doing. It is important to make sure that we don't put down or criticize other because their view point or actions differ from ours. Hopefully, they will respect ours if we show that respect of theirs.
We can voice our opinions, share our view points, and hope that they will influence others to do the same, but we should never force them upon others, no matter how frustrating, grievous, or painful it is to watch them miss out on the joy we are experiencing. The greatest commands say it all. I hope that you will learn to live them.
I found myself standing around the punch bowl with several members of Management on Friday afternoon. It was interesting to hear the discussions going on. Two of the supervisors were talking the latest standings on the up coming "Amazing Race". Evidently several of them have started a little pool to see who is going to win the race. I found myself talking about the punch. It was delicious. I wanted to know what it was made of, but no one could tell me. I was asking them all who had made it. Suddenly we were all sipping it and trying to figure out what it was made of.
All those who were sipping were enjoying the flavor along with me. One manager commented how they thought it could be improved with a little bit of pineapple juice, a colorful umbrella, and a nice sandy beach. A supervisor commented that it would make a great margarita. My director looked me in the eye and said, " this would be great with a little vodka or a dash of tequila." I smiled back and said, I wouldn't know if that would make it taste better. She stopped and said, " I am telling you, it would taste better." I then went on to inform her that I would just have to enjoy it the way it was, because I would never add those ingredients.
She knew that I would never add those ingredients, but I found it interesting how she would pointedly direct her comments to me. I was just trying to figure out how to turn it into a slushy. I have thought about it often this weekend. We were all tasting the same punch, yet it spurred several different responses.
I find that several things in life are that way. We can all be watching the same movie, listening to the same talk, or observing the same thing together, yet we each pull out of it something completely different. The important thing is that we learn to accept each others view point with out having to change our own. We respect who they are, just not what they may be doing. It is important to make sure that we don't put down or criticize other because their view point or actions differ from ours. Hopefully, they will respect ours if we show that respect of theirs.
We can voice our opinions, share our view points, and hope that they will influence others to do the same, but we should never force them upon others, no matter how frustrating, grievous, or painful it is to watch them miss out on the joy we are experiencing. The greatest commands say it all. I hope that you will learn to live them.
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