Pause and Reflect

Ahh!  2015 off and running.  Love fest with family and friends – √

Calls, visits, texts and other acts of communication with the annual “Happy New Year” greeting –  √

Annual inward reflections –  √

Three days later after celebrating the newness, richness, and freshness of the unknown, my husband and I left morning worship service feeling renewed and reinvigorated.  The morning’s message was delivered loudly and clearly.  “Know your lane and stay in your lane.”  “Look at this year’s journey as another marathon – not a 100-yard dash.”  “Stay and make it work.  You have to hang in there with something.”  “Even at our best, we sometimes make mistakes.”  Keep our eyes on our purpose, our standards, our goals and keep moving as the wheels of our lives roll along day after day.  There was nothing daunting or duplicitous about that message.  In fact, what I gleaned from it will energize my thoughts and actions.  I am ready and willing to do incredible things going forward – ready to do them brilliantly!  There will not be a long list of resolutions that might or might not make sense in two months.  Instead, I want to see each day for its magnificience.  And if by chance I’m moved by the excitement of the journey, the fruitfulness of the year will have lived up to its billing.  Take a moment to pause and reflect on the year ahead and …get busy!

Is Customer Service Becoming Extinct?

Often times we hear the phrase, “The customer is always right.”  There are instances where the phrase could be true or where it couldn’t be further from the truth.  However, when we think of the phrase, we usually associate it with a desire for service personnel to give a high priority to customer satisfaction.  Some of my experiences include 1) A sales clerk telling me to have a seat and she’d be right with me only to return after serving six others who came afterwards; 2) A telephone message that says, “Please hold for the next available customer service representative.”  I actually left the phone on speaker for four hours and no one answered the call.  Perhaps the company was closed for a reason but did not change their greeting accordingly.  3) My husband ordered a certain piece of chicken only to discover that it was not there.  When he inquired about it, the sales clerk, in a very dogmatic manner, threw that piece in the trash, replacing it with the one he had ordered.  Puzzled by the clerk’s behavior, the customer behind him hollered out, “If you were going to throw it away, couldn’t you just as well have left it there or perhaps given it to a homeless or hungry person?”  4) A recent inquiry to the financial office of our primary care provider disclosed what the real problem was when only one of our two insurance providers had been contacted.  Our balance due was much higher than it should have been due to the negligence of someone not transmitting the billing to both.  After a lengthy conversation about the matter and no resolution, we asked to be transferred to the manager.  The manager was finally able to determine that the representative we had just spoken to was the one responsible for transmitting the information or lack thereof.  It was also disclosed that he had simply been careless in his responsibilities and was not willing to admit that when we spoke.  5) And finally, a situation where the customer service representative was exasperated by the way the conversation was going since it was obvious he had no solution, no resolve to try to solve the problem, and no intention to involve someone else  to help bring the matter to closure.  Therefore, he simply hung up the telephone. 

I’m sure you can think of other similar or worse examples.  I hope these are only isolated incidences and that customer service is alive and well.  After all, a satisfied customer is one to behold.  I saw a recent quote that stated, “At the heart of providing customer service is the notion of ‘respect’.”

Old Glory

Last week we read and heard a lot about the sheriff who refused the President’s directive to fly the flag at half-staff in honor and remembrance of Nelson Mandela.  In his opinion, South Africa should certainly do so, but because Mr. Mandela was not an American citizen, U.S. flags should not be flown in this manner.  Even though the President’s request was non-binding, in theory, refusing to fly the flag at half-staff was certainly within the sheriff’s right, but was it the right thing to do?  Other U.S. presidents have done likewise in situations where the decedent also was not an American. Viewpoints have been wide-ranging from agreeing with the sheriff to supporting the President.  Somewhere in the middle I’d like to think that simply being a member of the human race and being kind to other people matter; that our Country still places the art of humanity in high esteem. This recent conversation about “Old Glory” has been provocative, absorbing, and edifying.  Opinions on this matter are as diverse as our Country. What’s yours?

A Need to Belong

We have a basic instinct to belong.  The late William Glasser, an American psychiatrist, once said, “We are driven by five genetic needs:  survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun.”  When we have a sense of belonging, we are at peace with all that matters.  Whether we belong to a family unit, a sorority, a fraternity, a church congregation, a circle of friends, a workforce…our lives are impacted in a positive way.  These units give us strength; they help to address a fundamental need to give and receive love, to feel appreciated and accepted – the basic fibers of our essence.  So, if/when we are faced with a diatribe, we can rely on our support systems to provide a coping mechanism.

During this holy season, the best of who we are is manifested in our deeds.  For example, this morning my family and I attended an orientation session at a church we recently joined.  When we moved to the area and started worshipping with the congregation, we knew almost immediately that we wanted to be a part of this body of believers.  We wanted to belong.  Being new to the community and wanting to worship closer to home, we saw uniting with this church family as a way forward for us.  Sometimes we are faced with having to make decisions that could change the way we live; perhaps a need to placate our souls to a higher calling.

For our family, every day is a celebration.  Today we celebrated our connection to a new church family.  Tomorrow we celebrate my husband’s birthday.  Next week we’ll celebrate with our son…whatever he puts on the family agenda.  Later, we’ll simply celebrate life and all the things that are important to us – especially at Christmas.  We want to always keep that feeling of belonging.

A Spot On Day

As households across the land get ready to celebrate an annual tradition of thanksgiving, I am reminded of a scripture from Psalm 35:18, “I will give thee thanks in the great congregation:  I will praise thee among much people.”  As we gathered this morning listening to the pastor’s sermon, he expressed how important it is to appreciate what God has given us.  He encouraged us not to worry about what we don’t have; not to let our situations dictate our appreciation.  This season of being thankful is also a perfect time to appreciate our loved ones.  My husband and I left church service this morning feeling amazing after hearing such a wonderfully spiritual message.  With the day being absolutely beautiful – sun shining brightly and the autumn trees simply astonishing, we knew we wanted to take a long drive and embrace this precious time together.  We ended up at one of our favorite places, Lake Lanier; nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains and located about an hour from our house.  As the largest lake in Georgia, it is especially popular during the summer.  Boating and jet skiing are popular sports at the Lake.  Our outing this morning was a picture-taking moment.  I hope you enjoy this optic as much as we enjoyed the actual view.

Later, we had lunch at one of our favorite spots, The Varsity, an Atlanta institution. This drive-in fast food restaurant is one of six satellite locations.  Its main location in Downtown Atlanta is called, “The world’s largest drive-in.”  With its curb side service, it is a hit with patrons who prefer eating in their cars.  Today, we chose to eat inside and enjoyed some of their iconic features:  chili dogs, onion rings and homemade peach pies.  Not your typical Sunday dinner but satisfying just the same.  We’ll stay on the treadmill a little longer and workout a little harder to justify the indulgence.  Ha-ha!

The ride back home was quite gratifying as I reminisced about our fantastic visit to Lake Lanier and the delicious meal at The Varsity.  I looked over at my husband and thought to myself how thankful I am for him.  I also thought about our loving son and how much he means to us.  Yes, I was feeling extremely happy…remembering to be thankful for what I have.