Keeping Pace

Keeping Pace

Archives for May 2010

Lead by example

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Nearly 6 months ago, I began working at my new company.  It has taken me quite some time to adjust and feel useful.  It has taken even longer for me to feel comfortable enough to break away for lunch.  And you know how I need my lunchtime getaways.

Part of the reason I found it difficult was that my group generally lunches together.  More than that, I really like my colleagues and want for them to like me.  On more than one occasion, I have been left feeling a little guilty about my break away lunches. Or…perhaps that is the Catholic in me that has me feeling guilty.  *sigh*

The funny (and very cool) thing is that my break away lunches has created a change that even I did not foresee.  By leaving to run during the lunch hour, an example has been set.  It is one that people are starting to follow — at their own pace.

It’s pretty cool.

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Now THAT’s service

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Service

YaYa opted not the play baseball this spring. Instead, he decided to join his school volleyball team. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how he would like it. Like in most things he tries, YaYa seems to have given volleyball his full effort. One thing that he seems to have a knack for is serving.

Stop, Look, and Listen

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It’s a cloudy day, and the cars are lined up to get on the highway as we try to get from point A to point B. The red light reminds us to pause and take notice. Stop, look, and listen.

What do I see?

Besides the tagging on the wall that parallels the highway onramp, I see the sunlight making its way through the clouds and highlighting the gorgeous hillside. Trees reach up towards the blue sky while the wind gently blows the trees. As if they are dancing to my music, they gently sway side to side.  I just love taking in this view each morning.  It’s beautiful.

Red light – Green light – Red light – Green… One by one, we head out and merge into the mainstream flow in zipper-like fashion.  At least, that’s how I like to do it.

Slowly, I begin to move down the road too. Above me, a flock birds sit on the wire quietly watching the parade of cars going by. Kids on bicycles, with their backpacks loaded up with books, doddle along on the overpass above.

All the while the sun tries it’s hardest to break though the clouds.  Just as I arrive at work, the sun is finally successful. Unfortunately, I will have to wait ‘till lunch to enjoy it.

déjà vu

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We’re experiencing sort of a déjà vu thing here in California. At least in my parts we are. My dear sweet YaYa has adopted forgetful and lackadaisical tendencies. It’s so NOT him. What gives?

Don’t you know what that is? It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! It seems to you that mainly what you want is to get away; get away from the same old tedious things you’re so used to seeing and so tired of, and set something new. That is the idea; you want to go and be a wanderer; you want to go wandering far away to strange countries where everything is mysterious and wonderful and romantic. And if you can’t do that, you’ll put up with considerable less; you’ll go anywhere you CAN go, just so as to get away, and be thankful of the chance, too. — Mark Twain

On Sunday afternoon, he told me that he needed a poster board for an assignment that was supposedly due on Monday morning. We trekked to three different stores before finding it. Then, Monday morning, I discovered that he’d folded it up and placed it into his backpack with all of his books. Hello? Don’t even get me started on his putting on the pair of pants that are at least two sizes too small – then changing into a pair with holes in both knees. *sigh*

Yeah, I wasn’t so thrilled about poster board folding. That night, the poster board returned to our house (still in the backpack) so that he could finish the assignment. Apparently, it wasn’t due on Monday after all — but his state report was. Oh dear.

Later that night, when I finally took a good look at the finished product, I was quite disappointed. YaYa, who is normally a perfectionist, had glued tiny pieces of paper noting (in hardly legible writing) the temperatures of the various states in his assignment. This, along with the corresponding pictures and accompanying descriptions were in Spanish. On top having ragged edges on the various papers from being torn rather than cut, the lines from the state to the place where each item was glued wasn’t even straight. And while I know that I’m being critical, I think the sloppiness added to the entire project being folded might possibly send a message of disinterest to the teacher.

If the laidback, carefree symptomatology stopped here, I might let it go but I’m starting to get a little nervous that YaYa might be developing an illness far more serious and chronic than spring fever. I fear that he may have caught the Tweens. I’m not sure if you are familiar with this illness but it is pretty serious and most always leads to a far more chronic condition known as the Teens.  

Please say a prayer for YaYa, for me, and for us.

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