I’m really a cool to cold weather kind of person. Though it’s uncomfortable to work in the heat of summer, it has never been much relief to take a week off during that season. That’s why I wait and suffer through the terrible humidity. The sweltering heat of the southeast, that seems to go on forever. Really, it starts getting hot here in March and continues through September. Even into October sometimes. Though I’m from the south and love many things about this part of the country, it’s just too hot most of the year.
Today is the last day of my coveted time off. It’s peaceful here in my house. The heat is off and the window fan is running quietly. No television on this day. Reading and reflecting. Resting. I have somewhere to be this evening but for now I get to enjoy the last threads of a wonderful thirteen day respite from the grind.
In the past, I haven’t done much of anything during this time. Sit around the house mostly. Maybe visit family for a few days in another state. This year was a little different though. I took the opportunity to spend some time in the mountains with my dear friend. The place we went is my home state and it felt like I had come home. It’s been about a week since we returned and I have that feeling of lose again. Pining away for someplace I’d rather be. I’ve traveled all over the earth and seen many wonderful and beautiful places but the old saying rings true with me. There’s no place like home. Maybe someday it will be my place again.
I did visit with my family some. My dad has long since past away but my mother is still there. She doesn’t live in the family home anymore. With the onset of dementia it was safer for her to stay in an assisted living facility. It is quite sad to see someone you love lose his or her cognitive ability. A vague remembrance in the eyes, the obvious mental struggle to put the pieces together of who this person standing before you is. I love my mother dearly but I hope that I don’t end up in the same place. I honestly believe that I’d rather pass out of this life than to end up in that way. Though my time there was brief, I did get to visit with two of my brothers, my brother’s wife and my sister. It was really a joy to reconnect with my siblings. Their lives are so interesting and I am so very proud to be a part of our family. I wish there was some significant thing that I could do for them all. Some unequivocal thing that would always bring them peace, warmth and joy when they thought of me. I miss them already.
When I returned, it was time to pick up my own kids for the weekend. We always have a good time and I think all of our hearts ache when we part again. My youngest daughter, who is ten, has been bugging me to take her roller skating. When I was young and in school, I used to love skating. In the little town where I grew up, the man that owned the rink would drive an old school bus, that was painted white, around to pick kids up and then take them back home. It was like a dollar to get in and a dollar to rent the wheels. Though my dad gave me a small, weekly allowance I’d rake leaves, cut grass or collect bottles for the deposits so I’d have a little extra money when I went. It was good to buy a cheeseburger and have enough to buy the girl of interest a cherry coke. I’d skate my heart out and smooch with most any girl that was willing. Good times and mostly just clean fun. Well I took my daughter. It was the first time I’d been on skates in probably 30 years. Honestly, I was surprised at how well I was doing. Frontward, backward, even spinning around in a circle to stop. That’s when my girl wanted to hold hands and skate together. Now she does okay by herself but flails those arms around a good bit to keep her balance. I thought, no big deal, she’ll settle down if holding my hand. Right. We were probably in our third or forth go round when those little arms started to swing. In my effort to settle her down and keep her from falling, we both ended up on the floor. The one thing I didn’t remember about skating was just how much it hurt to land hard on that rink floor. Man, I could hardly walk for two days. My hip still hurts a bit and it’s been nearly a week.
Well, it’s been a good vacation. I really do feel rested and rejuvenated in heart and mind. I’m not looking forward to going back to work. I guess that’s pretty common with most folks. I am thankful that I do have a good job that is providing for my needs. God be praised. Its just time to start that long wait again.
Heavy sigh.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Service in Today's World
Have you ever noticed that the larger an organization becomes, the less service oriented it becomes? Have you ever asked yourself just what does the word “service,” mean? A well-known dictionary gives us several definitions of service. Here are a few of those provided.
-The occupation or function of serving. Employment as a servant.
-The work performed by one that serves. Contribution to the welfare of others.
-The act of serving. A helpful act. Useful labor that does not produce a tangible commodity.
Years ago when men and women had spent time in the military, it was common for them to say “I’m in the service” or “I served with the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard”. And who or what were they serving? Our country. When in far-flung regions of the world, do you not think that they really wanted to be at home with family and friends? Those people certainly weren’t in it for any sort of financial gain. I’ve been there and done that and can say from personal experience that the pay isn’t very good. Free medical? Again, that’s pretty dodgy as well. Most of the MDs in the military service probably couldn’t make it on the outside. From what a friend tells me, who has some personal experience with this particular matter, most of the doctors in the military couldn’t get an internship anywhere at a civilian hospital. They just barely made it through med school and the military was about the only place they could practice. That’s not to say they aren’t good people with a caring attitude but it does raise questions in one’s mind about their technical skill as doctors.
I once went to a leadership class while in the military. You know, they told us that the main reasons people stay in the military are “intangibles”. Things like a personal sense of duty. Knowing that they are such a very small percentage of this country’s populace that are willing to stay in it, despite the hardships it imposes on it’s members. Honor, integrity and dedication are also intangible qualities and are part of why some people make a career of military service.
There are many occupations that are fundamentally service oriented. Take teachers, nurses, coaches, utility workers, mothers, fathers and others. Even though most people in these fields do rightfully expect monetary compensation for their services, it’s that “spirit and attitude of service” that seems to make the difference to the person being served. I would personally be more willing to pay a higher price for quality service, that spirit and attitude of service, knowing that the person providing is going above and beyond that which is merely required, than I would for rendered mediocrity.
I am employed in a service-oriented occupation. When I first came to work for this company, I had numerous training sessions on customer service. Both external and internal customers. Not only am I responsible to provide a high quality product to my end users (customers) but also to the myriad of others that work in that with me. When my company was smaller, before it was absorbed by a larger entity, quality service was a much more important priority. I am honestly disheartened by the way things are going now. In example, I had to provide service for a very large business customer the other day but there were problems with what they had ordered. In an effort to resolve these issues for them I had to interface with a few other offices that could have easily made the necessary corrections to bring everything in line. The response I got from each of them was brusque and rude. An attitude of indifference to the end user and to me. My company is nearly three times as large as it was a year ago. What happened to the spirit and attitude of quality service that we were so collectively proud of? If things continue the way they are now, I see dark days ahead.
Maybe it’s my military training that makes me so sensitive to this aspect of life. The quality of work that I performed there could have realistically made the difference in whether someone survived the day. It was of the utmost importance. I had people’s lives in my hands. Out here, the consequences of shoddy workmanship are not so dire but the principle is the same. If I do lousy work the quality of someone’s life is affected in an adverse manner. To top that off, the customer is ultimately paying my wages and getting in return an aggrieved state of existence.
The company I am with grades my daily work with a system of qualifiers that are at best nebulous but some of the items looked at are valid. If a customer calls back and reports the service is unsatisfactory, it goes in a negative check box on my daily performance. I don’t want that to happen. Not because of the personal tally sheet that is maintained on me but more because that human being, that expects good service, is dissatisfied in some way. I want to put myself in their shoes when working for them. As if it were my money that was being spent. I believe that my time on earth is limited. I believe that there is a reckoning in my spiritual life. Is it really worth taking shortcuts here on earth when the consequences of those actions have everlasting potential? I am reminded of the apostle’s words in Ephesians 6:
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.
Has our society become so “self” absorbed that we cannot see the value of doing the right thing in all things that we do? It seems to me that the prevalent attitude in our country today is one of “it’s all about me”. Whether a company or an individual, it’s really quite shameful. If this perspective is a result of progress and technological enhancement in our lives, I believe that I would personally be better off living my life a hundred years ago.
-The occupation or function of serving. Employment as a servant.
-The work performed by one that serves. Contribution to the welfare of others.
-The act of serving. A helpful act. Useful labor that does not produce a tangible commodity.
Years ago when men and women had spent time in the military, it was common for them to say “I’m in the service” or “I served with the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard”. And who or what were they serving? Our country. When in far-flung regions of the world, do you not think that they really wanted to be at home with family and friends? Those people certainly weren’t in it for any sort of financial gain. I’ve been there and done that and can say from personal experience that the pay isn’t very good. Free medical? Again, that’s pretty dodgy as well. Most of the MDs in the military service probably couldn’t make it on the outside. From what a friend tells me, who has some personal experience with this particular matter, most of the doctors in the military couldn’t get an internship anywhere at a civilian hospital. They just barely made it through med school and the military was about the only place they could practice. That’s not to say they aren’t good people with a caring attitude but it does raise questions in one’s mind about their technical skill as doctors.
I once went to a leadership class while in the military. You know, they told us that the main reasons people stay in the military are “intangibles”. Things like a personal sense of duty. Knowing that they are such a very small percentage of this country’s populace that are willing to stay in it, despite the hardships it imposes on it’s members. Honor, integrity and dedication are also intangible qualities and are part of why some people make a career of military service.
There are many occupations that are fundamentally service oriented. Take teachers, nurses, coaches, utility workers, mothers, fathers and others. Even though most people in these fields do rightfully expect monetary compensation for their services, it’s that “spirit and attitude of service” that seems to make the difference to the person being served. I would personally be more willing to pay a higher price for quality service, that spirit and attitude of service, knowing that the person providing is going above and beyond that which is merely required, than I would for rendered mediocrity.
I am employed in a service-oriented occupation. When I first came to work for this company, I had numerous training sessions on customer service. Both external and internal customers. Not only am I responsible to provide a high quality product to my end users (customers) but also to the myriad of others that work in that with me. When my company was smaller, before it was absorbed by a larger entity, quality service was a much more important priority. I am honestly disheartened by the way things are going now. In example, I had to provide service for a very large business customer the other day but there were problems with what they had ordered. In an effort to resolve these issues for them I had to interface with a few other offices that could have easily made the necessary corrections to bring everything in line. The response I got from each of them was brusque and rude. An attitude of indifference to the end user and to me. My company is nearly three times as large as it was a year ago. What happened to the spirit and attitude of quality service that we were so collectively proud of? If things continue the way they are now, I see dark days ahead.
Maybe it’s my military training that makes me so sensitive to this aspect of life. The quality of work that I performed there could have realistically made the difference in whether someone survived the day. It was of the utmost importance. I had people’s lives in my hands. Out here, the consequences of shoddy workmanship are not so dire but the principle is the same. If I do lousy work the quality of someone’s life is affected in an adverse manner. To top that off, the customer is ultimately paying my wages and getting in return an aggrieved state of existence.
The company I am with grades my daily work with a system of qualifiers that are at best nebulous but some of the items looked at are valid. If a customer calls back and reports the service is unsatisfactory, it goes in a negative check box on my daily performance. I don’t want that to happen. Not because of the personal tally sheet that is maintained on me but more because that human being, that expects good service, is dissatisfied in some way. I want to put myself in their shoes when working for them. As if it were my money that was being spent. I believe that my time on earth is limited. I believe that there is a reckoning in my spiritual life. Is it really worth taking shortcuts here on earth when the consequences of those actions have everlasting potential? I am reminded of the apostle’s words in Ephesians 6:
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.
Has our society become so “self” absorbed that we cannot see the value of doing the right thing in all things that we do? It seems to me that the prevalent attitude in our country today is one of “it’s all about me”. Whether a company or an individual, it’s really quite shameful. If this perspective is a result of progress and technological enhancement in our lives, I believe that I would personally be better off living my life a hundred years ago.
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