We're All Going Through Things

What are you going through right now?  We all get wrapped up in our own problems don't we?

Everybody is going through something.

We may share it with someone close to us or we may keep it inside.  There are times that we think no one cares.  I can assure you that there is always at least one person who cares and understands.  

The Bible tells us that Jesus is well acquainted with what the Bible describes as infirmities.  An infirmity is a physical or emotional weakness. We are all human and we are going to have weakness.  Our lives won’t always go as expected.  

When I walk down the street where I live to pickup food, I pass many people.  People from different backgrounds, different cultures and different problems.  We all may be different but we all still going through something.  

There was a contemporary Christian song many years ago called "People Need the Lord" by Steve Green that says:

Everyday they pass me by

I can see it in their eyes

Empty people filled with care

Headed who knows where

On they go through private pain

Living fear to fear

Laughter hides their silent cries

Only Jesus hears

People need the Lord, people need the Lord

At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door

People need the Lord, people need the Lord

When will we realize people need the Lord?

While God usually doesn’t intervene in our lives in a tangible way, He does still care about us and sometimes He uses others to help us.  He can work through the kindness of others.  It doesn’t have to be some supernatural creepy encounter but just a simple act of kindness.

The second verse of the song by Steve Green says:

We are called to take His light

To a world where wrong seems right.

What could be too great a cost

For sharing life with one who's lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel

All the grief they bear

They must hear the words of life

Only we can share

Small acts of kindness, such as helping someone in need or offering a listening ear, can make a big difference in someone's life.  Helping others, especially those who are vulnerable or marginalized, is a way to show God's love and compassion. 

I will admit that many times I am oblivious and not looking for opportunities to touch others with kindness.  An act of kindness can go a long way.  Let's make that effort to be nice to the cashier at the store, open the door for someone or look for ways to bless others.  While we may have our problems, helping others is a good way to help us in dealing with our own.  

Devices of Distraction

Recently, I was sitting in a restaurant to pick up our order lunch. I looked around and every single person was on their phones.

We are a society addicted to our phones.

I will admit that I am one of them too.

My phone is no doubt my favorite tech gadget and like most people, I take it with me everywhere I go. 

When I was growing up, we had one phone in our house and it was attached to the wall. That’s it. We couldn’t take it with us and it wasn’t mobile. Video phones were something of the future.

And here we are.

Roughly 95 percent of Americans own a smartphone. We spent an average of 4 hours on our phones each day.

Now that we have them, we can’t seem to put them down. Even in family gatherings many are on their phones. We are too quick to pick up our phones instead of having personal interactions with the people around us.

I will say that smartphones do have some positives. We can now carry around small computers with us along with media and information. I will often think of a question and immediately pick up my phone and get the answer without leaving my chair. Access to information is lightning fast now compared to when I was growing up.

And then there is the downside of this technology. We are all glued to our phones when bored, walking, driving or even while talking to others. Our devices can be huge distractions. While we are plugged into the world in our phones we are disconnected with the world around us.

I have tried to be more conscious of my phone usage and make a better effort to put it down a little more often.

Can we make a conscious effort to put down the phone?

When talking to someone, let’s put the phone facedown and talk to the people we are with.

Enjoy walking without being glued to the phone.  I see people walking the sidewalks every day totally focused on their phones rather than walking or looking for traffic at the crosswalks.

Enjoy the moment you are in. We don’t need photos or videos of everything.

Believe it or not we once survived without carrying around phones, tablet or any tech gadget.  The most high tech device we wore was a watch.  Our phones have opened a new world but also become devices of distraction.  Take time to put the phone down and enjoy where we are and the people we are with.

When I Grow Up...

Remember when you were a child and you would say what you wanted to be when you grew up? I remember when I was asked that question that I would say I wanted to be an astronaut.  I grew up during the time of the Apollo Moon missions and was fascinated about anything to do with space.  

So how did it turn out?  I did not become an astronaut.

Today I am a Senior eDiscovery Analyst.

Don’t ask me to explain. That would take an entire blog.  

Where I am today is not where I thought I would end up in my life and the career I ended up with. In fact, the job I have today wasn’t even in existence when I was telling people that I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.

The closest I got to that declaration was joining the United States Air Force.

I never became a pilot either.

I was initially scheduled to be trained to be an Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist (bomb loader) but shortly after I began my enlistment I was informed that the career selection was no longer available for me. I had to pick another career path.

I have had an incredible journey of jobs and careers. I certainly would have never thought I would have ended up where I am today.

Here is where my job path has taken me since having to choose another career path that day in the Air Force Personnel Office:

• Administrative Specialist 
• Military Postal Clerk 
• Administrative Specialist 
• Private Investigator 
• Legal Assistant 
• Computer Assistant 
• Information Technology Specialist 
• Litigation Technology Specialist 
• eDiscovery Specialist 

It has been a crazy path that I have been on. I actually retired from my government service a few years ago but I continue to work because we still have to live to pay the bills. However, now the difference now is that I am not pursuing a career. I have had my career. 

Here are some of the best and worst things from my work life:

Favorite job:  Part-time sportswriter.  Nothing comes close to the fun I had when I took on a second job in the mid-90s working part-time at a local newspaper.  It was hard work but I loved it.  I might have taken that route if they would have hired me full-time.  

Worst job: Military Postal Clerk.  I now understand how someone can “go postal” because I spent one year working in the post office and I hated it.  I volunteered for a remote assignment at Thule Air Base in Greenland to work in the post office.  Not only was it a terrible job, but we were short-handed during the time I was there.   

Best boss: My current one.  We call him “Nemo” (as in Captain Nemo).  He’s the first supervisor I have had that really understands what I do and he’s got our back.  He’s not a micro-manager either which is perfect for me.    

Worst boss: She will remain nameless.  This person was very erratic.  I never knew which version I would get each day.  Once she told us that she wanted our division to show some initiative in doing our jobs.  When I did she totally berated me in front of my co-workers during a staff meeting.  It was the only time anyone made me cry on the job.  

My favorite moments were when our legal team got a favorable verdict in a trial.

My worst moments were when myself or my fellow coworkers were cut.  I have experienced both and it is quite a bitter experience.  

The strangest job interview I ever had was when I was told by the interviewer that they needed to hire a minority for the job I was applying for.  I couldn’t believe they could do that, but he said he wanted to just be honest with me.

The most shocking moment happened when I once applied for a job in Pensacola, Florida.  I knew someone on the interview panel.  He talked me into applying.  Interview went well and I was sure I was going to get the job.  I wasn’t offered the job.  It was a punch in the gut.  

Do I still wish I could be an astronaut? No, but if Katy Perry can be one then….

I have been tormented by difficult supervisors and co-workers. I have also had some of the best. 

 
I will be honest and say that there are some days I am tired of working a job. It annoys me that retirement doesn’t pay enough to live on. I will probably be working the rest of my life as long as I am able to work.  

With 43 years of work experiences, I have some advice for you from lessons I have learned - some learned the hard way:

Be your best. Don’t try to compete with someone else.  Just do what you do best.  There were many times I found myself replacing someone on a job.  In Nashville, I constantly heard "Marcia did it this way..." or "Marcia would do this..."  Finally, one day I had had enough.  I made it known that I knew how to do my job and would do it MY way from that day forward.

Do more than what is expected.  Don't settle to just do your job but be the kind of employee that goes above and beyond what is asked.  

Endure the difficult times. They won’t last.   There will always be unpleasant parts to the job.  Most of the time you can't take a shortcut around it.  Take a deep breath and press through it.  I once had the entire responsibility of the IT staff on me because the staff had left.  It was hard and people were demanding with no mercy on the situation I was in.  I had to take one day at a time until relief came.

Expect the difficult times.  As I mentioned above, there will always be unpleasant parts to the job.  You have to expect it and, if possible, prepare for it.  Try to take pre-emptive measures to deal with the difficult times.

Don’t friend coworkers on social media.  Trust me, you will get burned by your social media posts.  Your co-workers don't need to know everything about you.

If coworkers gossip about others around you, then they will gossip about you to others.  It burns when you overhear gossip about you.  People will talk.  Don't get involved in it.  

Limit social events. You don’t get paid to socialize; you get paid to do your job.  I know this sounds like I'm being anti-social, but I am giving you some good advice here.  Don't join in on the office parties and social events.  

Have integrity and always be a professional.  People will respect you more if you set boundaries and remain consistent in your behavior.

Share your knowledge.  Teaching and training others will take the pressure off of you. Don't be intimidated by people knowing what you know.

 
If you get a raise or bonus don’t talk openly about around your car or in your house.   This was some strange advice I received from a former supervisor, and she was right.  Oddly enough, your house and car will want part (or all) of your extra funds.

Work life balance?  Unlimited PTO?  Take-the-time-you-need?  It is not what you think and you will learn about the strings which are attached to these.  The balance still leans toward the work than it does life.  A four-day workweek would be a better balance, but most companies are slow to embrace this.

No doubt I have done a lot and seen a lot during my years of work. Some days I honestly get tired of working but I really don't see true retirement because you can't maintain your life on retirement pay.  Don't depend on some fantasy about retiring because it's just not reality.

I didn't become an astronaut, but I have had an interesting work life.