on reflection, i actually had a good day today. if it sounds like i am surprised, i am. the week had all the indications that it was going to be a shocker, and in many ways it was.
today was not though.
why?
maybe it was because i realised when a relatively good bad was about to become bad. i was totally conscious of the moment, and can still feel it if i think about it. let me describe the moment for you.
i had one of my star employees have her last day with us today – lots of last minute things for her to do and hand over.
my new 2 newest employees are both off sick at the moment.
all of this leaves me with quite a lot to do – my work, their work, and a couple of other people’s work – mainly because i still can’t say no sometimes.
so when i received 3 e-mails at the same time, all with a bright red ! in front of them, from the same person with “help help help” in the subject line, i began to feel it.
when the realisation that the plan i had for the day to get through all my stuff had just gone out the window, that’s when it happened.
my body temperature instantly rose what felt like 5 degrees centigrade. i needed to remove my jersey jut to be able to think clearly.
then i took a breath. walked to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. came back and re-prioritised.
now, this may sound like an overreaction to a mere 3 e-mails, but of course it is only a snapshot of what was on my desk at the time. an aside to all the questions being asked of me by co-workers. all the solutions being required of me by my team.
but i am proud of how i handled it. that i didn’t flip out or lose control of my day. it helped that at about that time i realised it was thursday today and not only tuesday.
i got most things done, and will deal with the rest (and some surprised, no doubt) tomorrow.
but i was aware, and that’s important.
as for the rehearsal we had tonight – i see that we have a show in the making!
some of you may know that i’ve been on stage a few times, so when i was asked if i could be production secretary and stage manager for this show, my initial reaction was that i actually wanted to be on stage – none of this backstage business.
but then i thought about it and accepted that yes this is a good idea if i might want to direct one day. 2 friend this year have now planted the “direct something someday” seed. it’s not a seed that’s had any water or fertilizer in the past.
and i am really enjoying it! it’s hard work, takes up a lot of time, and is certainly more enjoyable after a good day than after a rotten day. and tonight i remembered to step back mentally and see us all working towards making barefoot in the park a reality 🙂
what bugged me today: my boss’s reaction to my employee’s decision to leave. but that’s his choice, and he must live with it.
what i learnt today: that while in most fizzy drinks like coke and fanta the gaseous bubbles are white or clear, in the bright orange, sugar-infested “pine whizz” pineapple flavoured liquid we drank today, the bubbles are the same bright orange as the drink. i’ve never seen that before an it’s freaky man!
what i am grateful for: seeing the benefits in myself of having invested in visiting a therapist the last few months – boy has it made a difference!
