Last Thursday I made a mental mistake and backed my bride's Blazer into our garage door while it was still in the process of opening. The day had been a particularly ugly one and I simply forgot that the door takes a little while to go up or down. So as I backed out of the garage there was that grinding pop, as the door kicked off the rails. No damage to the car. So the door had to be tied in the closed position for security sake. We were now forced to go through the back yard and in the back door. Not huge, but a constant reminder that I had a brain hiccup and it would cost me money to get it fixed.
So I called a local guy to come fix the door. Now if you don't know how these things work let me just say that it all hinges on a large spring over the garage door, with a LOT of tension that drives the entire thing. Let me also say that if you were to unleash all that tension with all the metal rods attached..well, it would leave a mark.
Anyway, I made the comment that I was going inside to work and he could handle it himself. My final comment was a humorous attempt to let him know that I did not want be in there if something went wrong and that spring came unsprung at the wrong moment. That comment started a 10 minute story about how he wouldn't work on the spring for the first 8 years he was in this business! Come to find out he was as afraid of those things as I was! Really? You are afraid of the primary component of your livelihood? How can this be? I scurried out of there when he slowed down on the story, mumbling something about having to get back to my laptop.
But this is probably not all that uncommon. Most sales people have to fight what is known as call reluctance. I would guess there are dentists who hate to deal with cavities, teachers who would love their jobs if it weren't for the kids, preachers who love to preach, but hate to study, doctors who can't stand the sight of blood. Politicians who love to campaign, but hate to govern. We know this exists but what caught me off guard was the simple honesty of this guy in admitting it. As one who has had numerous interviews over the past 18 months, I have had to find creative ways of telling a potential employer that I love strategic planning, vision-casting, start-up and development, and execution of the plan...I hate maintenance. I have discovered over the decades that I need a great maintainer at my side to keep the entire thing running. What I have also discovered is that God built far more maintainers than he did entrepreneurs. He is a wise God. What he didn't build are HR people who understand various strengths. I have gotten good at maintenance, I just hate it. The same can be said for the dentist who can still drill and fill, the teachers who tolerate the kids, preachers who find a way to shorten the study cycle, doctors who have found good nurses, and politicians who have found really good staff members who can govern. We all accommodate our own weaknesses. And we soldier on.
The garage door now works better than before (and is quieter) Now my bride can park in the garage. Now I can set my frustration over a brain hiccup to the side and move on. All because some guy overcame his fear of springs with enormous tension, and fixed my mistake.
Godspeed to all those who have some key ingredient in their work that they hate. There is someone out there who loves that part, find them and make them your partner.
Don
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Catching Up
This has been a crazy week. I will probably post on most of the events later when I have more time.
This week is in Houston, which might become a habit. The company I am working with is furnishing a 1-bedroom condo, rather than hotels every night. This is preferred because I can cook my own food, etc. The condo was "fully" furnished..except for trashcans, silverware, cooking utensils, paper towels, tp, bathmats, TV, Wi-Fi, coffee maker, dish drying rack (no dishwasher), any lights or light fixtures in the bedroom, or beddng. To be fair they told me to bring bedding which I did along with towels and kitchen towels. Other than that it was just as they told me. The condo is within walking distance of Reliant Stadium which rests on the old Astrodome location. Apparently Panera nor Starbucks find this to be a valuable location, none in sight. I will say that with no TV or Internet, it is very quiet in that condo, and my kids will appreciate the fact that when there is no one to talk to..I get a little restless.
Working with the company I am in the "wart finding" mode. Technology not where I was told it would be, no inventory systems, no production forecasting or planning; shipping incomplete, scattered customer base, and internal territorial battles, this is my kind of place. Spent Monday night developing a model stock position and am getting resistance from the guy who is supposed to be in charge of this. I bet him lunch that if my system can't get the back order % down less than 3%, then we can go back to his system which is running 11%. So far he has not taken me up on the bet.
Started back in on my deeper disciplines of study and meditation. No TV will do that for you. I started with Mark, only through the first few verses, but already insight is cropping up. God has a nasty way of pointing out my dark thoughts with scripture. The wilderness has been my home for the past couple of years. Mark says that Jesus, after his baptism went into the desert where he spent time with wild animals and angels. In my journal I noted that the wild animals in my life were bitterness and anger, while the angels were our dear friends who have supported us through this. Reflection is not for the faint hearted.
So now I leave the only Starbucks I could find to go back to tilting at windmills.
Godspeed, hope this message in a bottle finds you all well.
Don
This week is in Houston, which might become a habit. The company I am working with is furnishing a 1-bedroom condo, rather than hotels every night. This is preferred because I can cook my own food, etc. The condo was "fully" furnished..except for trashcans, silverware, cooking utensils, paper towels, tp, bathmats, TV, Wi-Fi, coffee maker, dish drying rack (no dishwasher), any lights or light fixtures in the bedroom, or beddng. To be fair they told me to bring bedding which I did along with towels and kitchen towels. Other than that it was just as they told me. The condo is within walking distance of Reliant Stadium which rests on the old Astrodome location. Apparently Panera nor Starbucks find this to be a valuable location, none in sight. I will say that with no TV or Internet, it is very quiet in that condo, and my kids will appreciate the fact that when there is no one to talk to..I get a little restless.
Working with the company I am in the "wart finding" mode. Technology not where I was told it would be, no inventory systems, no production forecasting or planning; shipping incomplete, scattered customer base, and internal territorial battles, this is my kind of place. Spent Monday night developing a model stock position and am getting resistance from the guy who is supposed to be in charge of this. I bet him lunch that if my system can't get the back order % down less than 3%, then we can go back to his system which is running 11%. So far he has not taken me up on the bet.
Started back in on my deeper disciplines of study and meditation. No TV will do that for you. I started with Mark, only through the first few verses, but already insight is cropping up. God has a nasty way of pointing out my dark thoughts with scripture. The wilderness has been my home for the past couple of years. Mark says that Jesus, after his baptism went into the desert where he spent time with wild animals and angels. In my journal I noted that the wild animals in my life were bitterness and anger, while the angels were our dear friends who have supported us through this. Reflection is not for the faint hearted.
So now I leave the only Starbucks I could find to go back to tilting at windmills.
Godspeed, hope this message in a bottle finds you all well.
Don
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
36 and Counting
36 years ago today, my bride and I tied the knot. Apparently it was tied pretty tight. It is a moment in time that I look back down the trail and realize that the journey has been twisting and winding through tough terrain and sometimes easy footing. There have been chills and spills, laughter and tears, fights and loving, and there has been one single person by my side every single step of the way.
When I look back at the wedding pictures of this very young couple it strikes me that we had little to foreshadow the journey that would be ours. There was a brashness in my take on life, and a long-suffering trust by my bride that I could make it work out. I wish I could say that her trust has been affirmed, but in reality her trust was simply a part of her nature and less a knowledge of my abilities. We were young and strong and passionate about life and each other. I have joked over the intervening years that the young couple pictured in the wedding photos died in childbirth. But in reality the young couple still lives just in older, scarred, somewhat less naive bodies.
We have had our share of fights, some of them lasting months and years. There have been moments when one or both of us was unlovable, yet we kept on loving. At times we both wanted to leave, but the obstinate commitment we both cling to would not allow it. Some of the nights have been long and frightful where we would hold each other and cry into the dark, the storm battering our lives, only to wake to a new day with fresh resolve to overcome.
But there has also been a lot of laughter, at ourselves, at life in general. We have been blessed with kids who love to laugh and have brought us new kids through their marriages who love to laugh. It is with great contentment that I watch around a dinner table, all our kids make fun of each other, kid each other about funny events, mock battles over little things like thermostat controls, how to season food, interests that each hold. It is in these moments that I glance at my bride and realize that this bonus, this blessing is because she and I love each other still. I love it when she laughs at the craziness that these 6 adults and 4 (going on 5) little ones bring to us.
It is the reward for a life lived in commitment to a vow we made all those years ago. You see I think love comes and goes. Sometimes this marriage thing is no fun at all. But when two people tie that knot and commit to the relationship then the bounty that comes is worth all the bumps and bruises.
We are smarter now, a little less naive. There is not much we haven't been through, death of parents, illness of children, broken hearts over disappointment, and a constant search for a God of discernment. Yet, we still love the future. We can't wait to see what the world has in store for our little ones. There is no one I would rather grow old with than my bride of 36 years.
Godspeed to those who are just starting the journey, it is a ride that simply can't be explained. For those who started the journey about the time we did, I pray your journey has been as good as ours. For those ahead of us on the trail, it is a joy ti watch your love grow. It gives us courage.
Don
When I look back at the wedding pictures of this very young couple it strikes me that we had little to foreshadow the journey that would be ours. There was a brashness in my take on life, and a long-suffering trust by my bride that I could make it work out. I wish I could say that her trust has been affirmed, but in reality her trust was simply a part of her nature and less a knowledge of my abilities. We were young and strong and passionate about life and each other. I have joked over the intervening years that the young couple pictured in the wedding photos died in childbirth. But in reality the young couple still lives just in older, scarred, somewhat less naive bodies.
We have had our share of fights, some of them lasting months and years. There have been moments when one or both of us was unlovable, yet we kept on loving. At times we both wanted to leave, but the obstinate commitment we both cling to would not allow it. Some of the nights have been long and frightful where we would hold each other and cry into the dark, the storm battering our lives, only to wake to a new day with fresh resolve to overcome.
But there has also been a lot of laughter, at ourselves, at life in general. We have been blessed with kids who love to laugh and have brought us new kids through their marriages who love to laugh. It is with great contentment that I watch around a dinner table, all our kids make fun of each other, kid each other about funny events, mock battles over little things like thermostat controls, how to season food, interests that each hold. It is in these moments that I glance at my bride and realize that this bonus, this blessing is because she and I love each other still. I love it when she laughs at the craziness that these 6 adults and 4 (going on 5) little ones bring to us.
It is the reward for a life lived in commitment to a vow we made all those years ago. You see I think love comes and goes. Sometimes this marriage thing is no fun at all. But when two people tie that knot and commit to the relationship then the bounty that comes is worth all the bumps and bruises.
We are smarter now, a little less naive. There is not much we haven't been through, death of parents, illness of children, broken hearts over disappointment, and a constant search for a God of discernment. Yet, we still love the future. We can't wait to see what the world has in store for our little ones. There is no one I would rather grow old with than my bride of 36 years.
Godspeed to those who are just starting the journey, it is a ride that simply can't be explained. For those who started the journey about the time we did, I pray your journey has been as good as ours. For those ahead of us on the trail, it is a joy ti watch your love grow. It gives us courage.
Don
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