I'm not sure of the exact date it first started or even why it started, but every year or two my sister would send me a purse. After she sent me the first one, she called to let me know something was on its way. Her exact words escape me, but she said something like "I saw this... I thought it looked like you and I wanted you to have it."
My sister and I are different in many ways, but for some reason she has a knack for picking out the perfect purse for me. I was always delighted with each purse and grateful to her for giving me something which she had chosen especially for me. The icing on the cake were all the compliments I received when carrying one of these purses. With each compliment I said, "Thank you, my sister gave it to me." Most of the comments were, "Wow, you must have a nice sister?" To which I responded, "Yes, I do."
Early this spring I was feeling the need to get a new purse and started shopping for one. I shopped and shopped and just couldn't find the right one (or should I say, the one that fit my champagne taste, but Boones Farm budget). I thought about my sister and how she always picks just the right one out for me. I selfishly picked up the phone and called her. When she answered the phone, I said I had a mission for her, should she choose to accept it. She asked what that would be. I went on to tell her that I would like for her to pick out a purse for me. I told her that I wanted to pay for the purse and the shipping, but I wanted her to choose the purse because she had a talent for selecting the perfect one. To my surprise, she was delighted to take on the task to find just the right purse and send it my way.
A week later my sister called and said she had found the purse and was putting it in the mail. I could hear the excitement in her voice, she was so happy that I had selected her to choose a purse for me. She told me it was perfect and she knew it was the right one for me when she saw it. She said it was a designer purse and it was pink.
Now, I have never owned a pink purse in my entire life and I tend to dress on the conservative side, but I knew instantly that this was the perfect purse for me. The truth was it didn't matter, what the purse looked like, I trusted that she bought this with her heart and that is what made it perfect. I knew I would love it because she had carefully and thoughtfully chosen it just for me. In that moment, this gift became so much more than just a purse. It became a trust, a bond and an opening of my heart.
My sister went on to say how much it meant to her that I called her to pick out a purse for me (and I thought I was being selfish). She said she loved doing it and wanted me to promise to just wear it through the summer and then she would select another one for the fall. She also said that she would not take any money for it or the shipping because she wanted to do this for me. I had no idea that asking her to accept this request would bring her so much joy and such a feeling of validation. This purse had become so much more than just a purse, it had become a gift of love.
When the package came in the mail, I called my sister and opened it. It was the perfect purse!
I proudly wear this purse and everyday I carry a part of my sister with me. This purse is a representation of what matters to me and all that I cherish.
Just the other day, someone complimented me on my purse. I smiled and said, "Thank you, my sister gave it to me." It is truly one of the best gifts I have ever received.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Multi-tasking
I'm sitting at a traffic light waiting for it to change. I see a woman coming down the street talking on her cell phone and not paying attention to the road. My next thought is that she is going to have a wreck. As soon as I release this thought, she smacks into another car. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The culprit in this incident is multi-tasking. Had she pulled off the road and taken the phone call or told the person on the phone she would call back, this might not have happened. Multi-tasking had proven dangerous for this woman.
I've come to realize that multi-tasking has become detrimental to me as well. In a time when multi-tasking has become regarded as an attribute, I feel it has become a detriment for me. Job descriptions and requirements boldly state that multi-tasking is a beneficial quality and valued by employers. It has been my experience that the time has come to give value to doing one thing at a time. Giving full attention and care to a task as I'm performing it, garners much better results than my partial attention. It allows me to do my best and get satisfaction from a job well done. So many times I've witnessed co-workers and bosses make mistakes due to the fact that they were multi-tasking and not giving the task at hand their full attention.
As a wife and mother, I've multi-tasked for years and at times even boasted about it. I can cook dinner and clean at the same time. I can pay bills and watch the news. I can answer e-mails and talk on the phone. I can fold laundry and talk to my children at the same time. I can do two things at once, but I no longer choose to do so. The reason for this is that I do not like the results of giving my partial attention to something or someone that requires all of me. I no longer want to talk to someone on the phone and not give them my full attention. When I pays bills, I want to look over the statement and make sure there are not any mistakes that need to be addressed. When my children talk to me, I want to look into their eyes and listen to what they are saying. I want to be present and give my presence.
A few weeks ago I was at the orthodontist's office with my daughter and was given some forms to fill out. While I was filling out the forms, the office administrator was talking to me. I began to notice that I wasn't giving the forms or the office administrator my full attention. I looked at the administrator and said, "can you give me a minute because I can't write and talk at the same time?" She said, "you can't write and talk at the same time?" With a tinge of embarrassment, I said, "no, I can't." The truth is that I could write and talk at the same time, I just chose not to. This was a turning point for me. Since then, I have made the decision not value the act of multi-tasking anymore. I know this is a habit, but it is one that no longer serves me and those around me. Breaking it is my conscious choice and a decision I make each time I'm tempted to multi-task. Doing one thing at a time is a lost art and one which has lost it's value. I find value in doing one thing at a time and this is what works best for me.
I look forward to the day when job descriptions and requirements read, "multi-taskers need not apply." In the meantime, I'll do as John Mayer says, "I'll keep on waiting... waiting on the world to change."
I've come to realize that multi-tasking has become detrimental to me as well. In a time when multi-tasking has become regarded as an attribute, I feel it has become a detriment for me. Job descriptions and requirements boldly state that multi-tasking is a beneficial quality and valued by employers. It has been my experience that the time has come to give value to doing one thing at a time. Giving full attention and care to a task as I'm performing it, garners much better results than my partial attention. It allows me to do my best and get satisfaction from a job well done. So many times I've witnessed co-workers and bosses make mistakes due to the fact that they were multi-tasking and not giving the task at hand their full attention.
As a wife and mother, I've multi-tasked for years and at times even boasted about it. I can cook dinner and clean at the same time. I can pay bills and watch the news. I can answer e-mails and talk on the phone. I can fold laundry and talk to my children at the same time. I can do two things at once, but I no longer choose to do so. The reason for this is that I do not like the results of giving my partial attention to something or someone that requires all of me. I no longer want to talk to someone on the phone and not give them my full attention. When I pays bills, I want to look over the statement and make sure there are not any mistakes that need to be addressed. When my children talk to me, I want to look into their eyes and listen to what they are saying. I want to be present and give my presence.
A few weeks ago I was at the orthodontist's office with my daughter and was given some forms to fill out. While I was filling out the forms, the office administrator was talking to me. I began to notice that I wasn't giving the forms or the office administrator my full attention. I looked at the administrator and said, "can you give me a minute because I can't write and talk at the same time?" She said, "you can't write and talk at the same time?" With a tinge of embarrassment, I said, "no, I can't." The truth is that I could write and talk at the same time, I just chose not to. This was a turning point for me. Since then, I have made the decision not value the act of multi-tasking anymore. I know this is a habit, but it is one that no longer serves me and those around me. Breaking it is my conscious choice and a decision I make each time I'm tempted to multi-task. Doing one thing at a time is a lost art and one which has lost it's value. I find value in doing one thing at a time and this is what works best for me.
I look forward to the day when job descriptions and requirements read, "multi-taskers need not apply." In the meantime, I'll do as John Mayer says, "I'll keep on waiting... waiting on the world to change."
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