Chain of Events

Our basement has a room I struggle to classify. We have a bedroom, a storeroom/office, a bathroom, a laundry room, a gathering room and the "other" room. The "other" room is a little room but it can make the difference between a good day and a bad day in a flash. It has been called everything from a boiler room to an HVAC room to a mechanical room to a furnace room. Or, in my case, it is the room with the furnace, AC, water heater, floor drain, hoses, filters and other stuff I don't know how to label. For the sake of this post I will simply call it the little room. 

Recently, my husband asked me if I was the one who re-positioned the AC condensate drain hose so it stayed closer to the floor drain. I gave him an I-don't-know-the-meaning-of-any-words-you-just-said look. And if I did, the answer would be a "no" as I never go into the little room. I know how to open and close the door to the room but that is the extent of my expertise. After we eliminated the possibility of an otherworldly entity we determined the hose whisperer was one of our recent house guests who is mechanically inclined and likes to make things work a little better. 

About a week later I decided it was time to introduce myself to our AC drain hose and check out the drainage situation. Indeed, the hose was stabilized over the drain and it was doing its thing properly as far as I could tell.  However, something else caught my eye. There was a puddle of water surrounding our sixteen-year-old water heater and a little pool of water settling on the far side of the water heater. The little room being a foreign land to me, I thought it best to run the situation by my husband when he arrived for lunch. It did not take long for him to say, "We've got a problem. The water heater is leaking." And I said, "We've got a problem. It is Friday afternoon and you know what it is like to get help on a weekend." 

As I resigned myself to a few days of paper dinnerware and cold showers, my husband was on the phone with his plumber buddy. The plumber graciously agreed to come right over and install a new heater if we could procure one. The next phone call solved that problem. The final hurdle was the need for one more pair of hands connected to a strong back so the heaters could be moved in and out of the basement. Bingo, my husband's nephew was available. All systems go. 

Within a few hours we were the proud owners of a brand new water heater, thanks to the generosity of others. Those who agree to help someone out on the cusp of a weekend are folks who deserve high praise. Perhaps the one who really saved us from having a full basement flood was the hose whisperer. If it wasn't for him I would never have peeked into the little room and discovered the potential disaster. 

All should be well but I reminded my husband that home equipment failures usually come in sets of three. Our dishwasher went out a few months ago, add that to the water heater and misfortune math says we have one to go. I ran the equipment replacement dates in my head and said, "Get the clothesline ready to go. The dryer is next." 

Awesome

 

A placard in my neighborhood asks the question, "Are You Awesome?" As I drive by it I ask myself, "Am I Awesome?" Hmm....Um....it depends on the factors involved with the question. Most likely, I would have to say, "Not so much." I wasn't raised to believe I was awesome and if I thought I was awesome I certainly wouldn't be allowed to state such a self-assessment in public. Pride goeth before a fall. 

The placard is really asking folks to consider applying for a job with our local school district's after school programs. I guess the usual "Help Wanted" signs aren't exciting enough anymore. That being said, I wonder whether I would want to hire someone who thought they were awesome. Here is a list of characteristics I would rather see in a new employee.

1) Are You Humble?--This doesn't refer to someone who is afraid of their own shadow. Certainly, we all need a bit of hubris to advocate for ourselves when we are searching for jobs. However, I find it much easier to work with a humble colleague than a cocky-can-do-no-wrong individual. Most work places require far more worker bees than queen bees.

2) Are You Honest?--Nothing disrupts a work environment more than dishonesty. Trust is broken and the individual in question will risk never being given credibility and co-workers will slowly start distancing themselves from said individual. Being honest is a better habit in the long run and your employer will take notice. 

3) Are You Kind?--The power of kindness can neutralize even the most difficult situations. So often our work time is consumed by challenging tasks and a certain amount of tedium. A kind word, a thank-you note, a favorite treat or a scraped windshield in the dead of winter can be just the encouraging moment many of us need when we are weary. I am forever grateful to the many kind colleagues I was blessed with over the years. 

4) Are You Responsible?--This is a biggie. I have little patience for those who don't follow through with given responsibilities. Every time the ball is dropped for a task, someone else has to add more to their workload. Bad math, for sure. If you are unable to hold up your end of the bargain, be mature enough to ask for help and work toward a solution. 

5) Are You Prompt?--Tardiness without a valid reason is rude. A tardy person sends a message that their time is more important than everyone else involved. My mother always set our main clock ahead so we always had a sense of urgency with our time. Of course, we knew that the clock was not accurate but the message was received. No dilly-dallying and get yourself out the door, pronto. 

I don't think any of my questions would make for a very catchy job-hiring placard. And I do really hope the school district can fill all their open positions. That alone would be really awesome.