From the Observation Deck

Money. A necessary evil. Most of us have been obsessing over it even more than usual during the past two years. The seriously greedy among us brought the whole house down. Some of us have been more fortunate than the rest. I at least got a new job before the funds ran out; still have a roof over my head, clothes overstuffed in the closet, and lots of food in the fridge. And now I am currently saving up for a trip to Iceland and Norway.

You know what that makes me? Rich. Super rich. I am richer than 99% of the people that populate this earth. And if you’re reading this then chances are, so are you.

So the first part of this story sounded depressing and bleak but I brought you back with that last part I hope. You’re rich! Woo hoo! It’s all about perspective. We live a life where wants become needs. You don’t need a cell phone or cable or Starbucks coffee or designer clothes or that sweater for your dog. I have been super blessed. God has given me a very comfortable life with lots of amenities. Everything I have has come from him.

This weekend my pastor used his dog as an example of our attitudes about money. His dog is an old sweet dog but if you try to take away his bone or toy then he growls and bites. He does this to his masters who gave him all of those things in the first place. He does that even when his master has a brand new bone he wants to give his dog to replace the gross one he’s been gnawing on for the past week. It’s the same way with us. We hold on to our money out of fear. But trusting in God and giving him back just a fraction helps us to release our fear. Giving back feels good because it’s right.

Now I am going to work on being more like my dog Grendel. Grendel does obsess about his bones—he won’t let other dogs or the cats near them with the one exception of his BFF Elwood. I don’t understand that relationship but it works for everyone so we won’t question it. However, Grendel will let me take food, bones, and toys right out of this mouth without hesitation. He’s a very happy and content dog willing to lay on his back with his stomach exposed showing his total trust in me. That’s how I want to be with God. Trusting in him. Loving him with my tail wagging.

Now that's trust and confidence.

Is it just me or are people getting more and more rude these days? I had a professor in college who once remarked, “There is no excuse for bad manners.” She was very wise. I’m not sure I get why people can’t take an extra few seconds to hold a door, say thank you or please, or even write a salutation in an email.

If your life is so hectic that you can’t answer another person’s inquiry by starting out with, “Hi Dawn” and ending with your name, then you need to reexamine yourself. For those dealing with customers—shame on you double time! That’s just serious bad customer service. Don’t treat me like I’m a pest invading your all-important day. And for everyone else—I’m a human being, not your servant. Talk to me with just a wee bit of respect. All I’m asking is for a salutation, a couple of extra words in your communications—not a 20-minute novel. (For those of you in my family or close circle of friends—you are off the hook. I’ll call you on it if I think you need a slap.)

I’m writing about this because in this age of texting and our fast-paced society, the rudeness bar is getting raised higher and higher. I’m writing this because both clients I work for and people in companies whom I’ve hired are displaying poor communication skills.

But before I launch into who is losing in this department (Wilgus, Sears, Home Depot), let me just say that lately the kids checking my groceries in the Giant near my house have been very friendly, professional, and polite. Kudos to them and their managers for taking that extra effort to be pleasant to their customers (and what a stinky job that is).

That was the good. Now the bad and ugly. This morning I received an email response to two questions I sent yesterday from our Wilgus representative. Wilgus is the company that manages our beach property. No hello, no dear, no signed name, nothing that would indicate any type of friendliness whatsoever. I know that emails can’t convey tone, so her attitude while typing may have been nice, but I’ll never know that. What I do know is that I feel like I bothered her about something that was important to me and she did not take any time to service one of her customers. Maybe she does consider us not worthy of her time. Some customers are like that. But as my professor said…

“There’s no excuse for bad manners.”

So with that said, have a wonderful day everyone. I’m going to make it my goal today to pay it forward to someone. How about you?

Best regards,

Dawn