Things I've Learned at Work

1. People in the world (specifically Denver, apparently) are cranky, uptight, inflexible, irrational, self-centered, and snide.

2. When dealing with such people, my degree in public relations has served me well.

3. My relationship with Jesus has served me even better. He helps me to be kind and understanding. He reminds me that He knows (and loves) everybody.

4. People need Jesus. Really.

5. There are only so many hours in the day, and I am just one person.

6. Things can change drastically in a matter of weeks. Leahh and I sometimes reminisce about the good ol’ days (April and May!), when we shared an office and listened to MGMT and Sufjan Stevens on Pandora all day long… when we had time to think and actually get our work done… when we had the office all to ourselves. Now we regularly have 15 people in our office at any given time… lots of cigarette smoke drifting in… lots of noise and commotion and chaos and phone calls and paperwork and files and sticky notes and bins on the wall and to-do lists and oh, I lost my to-do list in this stack on my desk, so let’s start a new one, and…

7. It’s hard to be a supervisor. This is new territory for me. In a matter of three weeks, I suddenly have five people working directly under me. All of a sudden, I have to think about how my decisions and attitudes affect other people. I know what it's like to have my day ruined because of something my boss said, so I ask the Lord for grace and wisdom in every situation.

8. I like having my own office. It’s nice to shut the door now and then. :-)

9. Delegate, delegate, delegate. This week was the first in three years that I didn’t write “take out the trash” on my Friday to-do list. It magically happens on its own. My trash (and that of everyone else in the office) is emptied nearly every day by wonderful people who take initiative.

10. Sending an employee on a Starbucks run once a day boosts morale and keeps everyone sane.

11. Working with people in their late teens and early 20s is fun. We laugh a lot. The atmosphere keeps me feeling young.

12. God is my source. Nobody else. I am grateful for my job and the opportunity to serve God wherever He places me...even when I don't completely understand His timing and placement. :-)