Actually, we arrived back home while the lawn-guy was busily mowing a portion of the field outside our yard fence. John Deer makes a really nice riding mower. Isn’t it true that having the right equipment makes all the difference? I don’t have the right equipment and lawn care no longer fills my need for “making a difference”.
Lawn care, like painting a room, is one of the things you can do to immediately get a sense of satisfaction that you’ve made an appreciable difference. The investment of your time easily provides the pay-off related to the contribution. You can visually see the difference you’ve made.
Years ago, I took great pride in doing lawn care myself. Not so much anymore! Actually, our yard has never looked as good as it now looks. The lawn-guy enjoys lawn care. He is passionate about it. Maybe that’s the critical ingredient. Unless you are passionate about what you’re doing, it doesn’t fill that itch for satisfaction.
So, after a three-day respite from the routine of our everyday lives, we were back home and It felt good. The house looked great. The General had done a thorough job of cleaning before we left town. Having a spotlessly clean home scratches her itch for making a difference. She’s good at it and of course, I reap the benefit. Okay, so I admit it, I have a really good life.
There was not a trace of dog hair to be found anywhere. That is really a nice concept and one I greatly value. The presence of dog hair isn’t a trigger for me to recall how much we enjoy having Samson and Charlotte stay at our home. It is more like a silent reminder there is always the price of admission.
Even in the most picturesque of circumstances, there is always something? This time it was fire ants. After a really soggy wet September, the price of admission is that our edge of heaven has become a haven for fire ants. The powder I use works fine unless it is wet outside. During the month, it has mostly been wet and the fire ants are having the benefit of lush green grass and the privilege of knowing they are in an environment that no one can spoil. The ant bait is rendered useless as it washes away.
Hey, that was something I could postpone until later. Nothing was going to mess up the joy of being home. At least, I thought that was true. So why was I awake at 1:30 this morning? It was like I had been jolted from a sound sleep only to think about the marathon of activity the next two weeks hold for me. I am going to be a busy guy, but the payoff will scratch an itch that can’t be satisfied any other way.
The thoughts that were filling my mind in the early morning hours made me briefly question whether the itch could be scratched. I first thought of something a friend had written me in an email several weeks ago. He is a Harvard graduate with a passion for the same kind of work that I do, only he’s more successful and better at it. He wrote me: “I don’t see how you continue to do all that you do. Some days the synaptic connections in my head stop firing properly shortly after lunch.”
Next week I am both privileged and cursed by having the opportunity to provide an hour and a half lecture related to ethics for social workers, licensed counselors and child care administrators. Actually, until recently I would have only referenced that I was privileged. I considered it an honor. I also enjoy public speaking and I have a passion for the work. Why would I not want to do it?
A friend who also presents at conferences and supervises training staff who also at times present at conferences indicated that this conference is a tough crowd. She wrote: “Ethics is always a tough class – and I find this group of participants to be extremely difficult”.
Okay, so the lights immediately came on inside my head. Attendance at the ethics session isn’t really voluntary. A licensed professional has to have three hours of approved training related to ethics training annually. Consequently, the Child Care Administrator’s Conference is a forum for picking up two workshops to meet that annual requirement. I was covering the need for half of that training.
Of course, no one had to register for my workshop, but failure to do so would cause one to forfeit half the training hours that were required annually for their licensure. Why wouldn’t they be a tough crowd? Seriously, it closely resembles “drivers education training”. Does anyone other than a fifteen or sixteen-year-old ever voluntarily take Drivers Education? They take it as an avenue to get a driver’s license and they can hardly wait! It is exciting for them. Once they have the license, the lure of the excitement around driver's ed diminishes to nothingness.
Every time I’ve signed for Driver’s Ed training it has been in order to keep a speeding ticket from appearing on my driving record. The last couple of times I have set through the dreaded experience, it was a comedy drivers education class. Not only did it come with laughter, they also served pizza half-way through the class.
Perhaps that is the key! I can make ethics training funny! So, the challenge before me is making the presentation interesting enough that four-hundred-people crowded like sardines inside a room will forget this really wasn’t involuntary. I want them to be glad that they invested an hour and a half of their time. I don’t have the luxury of throwing in pizza to sweeten the deal, but I can garner for their attention and do my best to make the experience enjoyable. By the way, I will be able to tell from their body language if I was successful in my pursuit.
With that challenge before me, I drifted off back to sleep with the realization that I am privileged to have that opportunity this coming week. My presentation is set for Tuesday morning from 8:30 - 10:00.
All My Best!
Don