Jewish Musings, Wednesday, February 7, 2024

[peachymom1]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Frieda (hopefully)?
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[peachymom1]

Good morning everyone! Today I’m shifting to a work issue.

There’s a project that comes up for me every year about this time, and I have dreaded it ever since it first got dumped in my lap (when another EA left the company about six years ago, and nobody else would touch it, so I got drafted – ugh). Every year, I keep hoping someone else will take on this project and I won’t have to do it, but no such luck. And when my boss retired a few months ago, I even thought he might have sloughed it off on some other department. Truly wishful thinking.

So I wasn’t really surprised to get a panicky email from my new boss about this project a few days ago. He’s completely unfamiliar with it and needed me to explain it to him. Fortunately, I’ve done it enough times that I can explain to him what it is and why it’s important. But then he asked me how I go about completing it, and I had to tell him I didn’t know yet, because every year the procedure changes, and I have to learn a new process. “That’s not very efficient!” was his reply. “Agreed!” I said. So he wants me to teach him the new process once I learn it myself, so he can understand the process and know what he’s approving, since this project requires VP approval before it can be finished.

This surprised me. I’ve had three different bosses since I inherited this project, and he’s the first one who actually took an interest in learning how it’s done. This got me to thinking, what is it about the project that he finds interesting, and could I maybe take more of an interest in it too? What is it about the project, exactly, that is so annoying to me every year? Is it the objective itself? No, it’s something necessary. Is it the amount of work involved? Not really, since I like my work and don’t mind something that’s more involved. Is it boring or difficult? No, not that either. I realized that the reason I don’t like doing it is because the procedure I have to follow is not efficient or smart or logical. Every year, the department in charge of the project tries to improve the process, and so far, every year they’ve only succeeded in making it different, not better. (I’ve tried making suggestions and even outlined a plan to overhaul the whole system to something quicker, easier and more efficient, but that was rejected.)

So I made a decision today. I am going to accept the fact that this is a PITA project that I have to do, whether I like it or not, whether it’s done efficiently or not, and in spite of my opinion of the department in charge of it. And I’m going to try to do it cheerfully and accept each irritating step of it as either (a) a learning opportunity); or (b) a way to improve my patience. And then when it’s all done, I’m going to celebrate in some small way, like buy myself a new book or pair of earrings, and congratulate myself for not throttling the idiot who insists on doing it his (dumb and inefficient) way.

Do you ever find that you just have to change your attitude about something in order to get through it? Who’s got a story?

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Re today's topic: peachymom1, I like your decision. You have a great attitude about dealing with a difficult situation.

As for me, I have an ongoing attitude change about getting along with people. I sometimes need to frequently remind myself that they are who they are, and not me, so we will differ about how things should be done and how we feel about them. It does make life easier!

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[gazelle18]

Well, I recently reframed something. As you all know, I had bunion surgery a few weeks ago. Talk about a PITA. I have a very large, hard boot on my foot, and am restricted from doing a lot of things. I COULD complain (and I do), but on the bright side, my DH has had to learn to do the laundry, since our laundry is upstairs! He’s pretty good at it ! (He can’t wait until I can climb stairs again.)

Here are a few more bright linings to my surgery:

1. I have a temporary handicap tag for my car, which is both necessary and convenient.
2. I have come to appreciate how hard it is to be disabled, and I have new respect and empathy for disabled people
3. Hopefully, in a few weeks, I will be done , and my foot will be pain free and I will be able to walk for exercise again.

[louise]

Peachy - I'm missing something. Didn't yu said you had a more efficent plan but it was rejected? Could this be year you get to institute a new plan? I admire your attitude but it would also make me crazy to have to execute something in an inefficent way. You've got someone in your corner now - seize the moment? (or I missed something or am dreaming).