Monday, May 22, 2006

Just Desserts!

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 22, 2006

SPECIAL NOTE: We will observe the Memorial Day holiday next Monday, May 29th and will resume posting on the following Monday, June 5th.


INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"You will become a great philanthropist in your later years."
~ Chinese Fortune

THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES!

Today's quote was lifted from an actual fortune cookie that we opened after a recent dinner at our local Chinese restaurant (Lucky Numbers: 34, 15, 26, 38, 17, 8). It's got to be the best cookie fortune that we've ever read! Its positive message is twofold, a doubly wonderful possibility for the future.


Becoming a great philanthropist is hopefully founded on the premise of becoming very wealthy, so the fortune seems to imply that not only will we become rich, but that we'll also be responsible enough to put our wealth to good use.


Capitalism is a "necessary evil" of this global age, and it creates a sense of obligation to help those less fortunate. Or to help them to help themselves, primarily through the improvement of education systems throughout the world.


The idea of the dog-eat-dog corporate mentality (see "The Apprentice") is becoming outdated. Selfishness is no longer in style, and trampling everyone else down is no longer seen as the best road to success. More and more "celebrity" entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Paul Newman, and Richard Branson are teaching a message of social responsibility.


We're not sure if we'll ever attain the kind of wealth those gentlemen have built, but we're still certain that our cookie's fortune will come true, because everyone has a responsibility to help others, no matter who you are, where you live, or the balance in your back account.

posted by The Office Grapevine at 9:05 AM 0 comments  

Monday, May 15, 2006

D.I.Y. - Do it yourself

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 15, 2006

Each weekly edition of GHOST STORIES is a short read beginning with a quote that inspires the ideas expressed in the column. Feel free to share our stories with friends and colleagues - we can even design a personalized version to use on your own website! More details...

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"Houses reveal character."
~ Gilbert Highet

IF I WERE A CARPENTER!

A story, written by an unknown author, goes like this: An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife and family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.


The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go, and asked if he would build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.


When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is YOUR house - my gift to you," he said.


Life is no different. Each of us is given lumber, a hammer, some nails, and a saw - but no instructions or blueprint for our lives. If we ignore a bent nail here, a split board there, and a wall out of plumb, we may find ourselves living in a ramshackle cabin where a beautiful home might have stood. Then we step back for a good look and recognize that we were the carpenter in charge.


Build your home with pride. Use the right tools: get the education you need, learn from a master, take no shortcuts, finish it with your finest touch. Remember - the plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."


(Originally published June 18, 2001)

posted by The Office Grapevine at 9:00 AM 0 comments  

Monday, May 08, 2006

More is Less!

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 8, 2006

Each weekly edition of GHOST STORIES is a short read beginning with a quote that inspires the ideas expressed in the column. Feel free to share our stories with friends and colleagues!

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"We're not out to change the world, just the way you talk to it."
~ from a Vonage television commercial
"The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate."
~ Joseph Priestly
TALK IS CHEAP!
How ironic that today’s “inspiration” comes from a marketing campaign for a communications company. It’s touted that technology saves you time and helps you to communicate better. But isn’t it more apparent that technology now leaves us with so little time that we barely have occasion to properly interact with others?

Anything that “saves time” is simply making time that you devote to some other pursuit. Dishwashers and clothes dryers were supposed to be modern time and effort reducing marvels, but did people just sit around and relax after the cleaning was done? No, because all the “extra time” created by technology has only served to increase the hectic pace of our lives, allowing us to do more and more in less and less time.

What about cell phones and email? Promoted as easy and inexpensive ways to communicate, they have ultimately diminished the personal aspect of communication. Ever gotten a phone call from someone who was killing time in line at the grocery store, or even worse, in traffic? Critical for emergencies and conducting business, cell phones otherwise give us an excuse for quick calls on the run, before the battery dies or the signal drops out (or another calls beeps in).

Email is another beast altogether, having reduced our language skills to nothing more than “emoticons” and run-on sentences without capitalization. Email has replaced the answering machine as the new way to ignore communication. The sender feels good because at least they made an effort to get in touch, but the recipient is in the privileged position of responding whenever they wish.

Ideally, we would all be able to sit down at home with undivided attention and give someone an hour of quality time on the phone. Or perhaps sit down with pen and paper and actually handwrite a personal letter to a friend or relative who lives at some distance. But who has the time?

posted by The Office Grapevine at 11:25 AM 0 comments  

Monday, May 01, 2006

Fire Drill!!

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MAY 1, 2006

Each weekly edition of GHOST STORIES is a short read beginning with a quote that inspires the ideas expressed in the column. Feel free to share our stories with friends and colleagues!

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"The world has to learn that the actual pleasure derived from material things is of rather low quality on the whole and less even in quantity than it looks to those who have not tried it."
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes


YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU!

Over the Easter weekend, a large wildfire began blazing within sight of our home. Before long, hundreds of firefighters, first responders, and other emergency personnel began arriving, and they bravely fought the flames throughout the weekend. At one point, it became apparent that we might need to evacuate.

We immediately began accumulating critical items: crates and food for our pets, computers, files, medications, our wedding album. When it appeared that we’d have a little more time to get our act together, we began searching our home for “secondary” articles that we might be able to squeeze into the vehicle.

Strangely enough, although our home is filled with beautiful and sentimental pieces, there were only one or two things we deemed important enough for consideration. Through our “evacuation goggles,” everything in our home was just that – a thing; a thing which had no value aside from what a receipt might substantiate on an insurance claim.

Quite frankly, it would be so easy to go on living without nearly everything we own. This is likely the case with many of us, although we don’t often, if ever, have to face such a possibility. After the danger had passed, we began to consider how much simpler our lives would be if we had a smaller home with fewer possessions. Although the trend has been to build larger houses, presumably because we need more room for our stuff, we’d all have a lot more time and money if the reverse were true.

We appreciate that so many unselfish men and women gave up their holidays with family to fight that fire. It’s astounding to think how they gave up what is truly so important – valuable time with friends and family – to protect our homes.

While the concept of “home” is paramount to our sense of security and well-being, the material things we keep in our home are not. If you have a chance to practice your own “fire drill,” you might be surprised to discover what you would take and what you could leave. In that respect, we all have more than we need.

posted by The Office Grapevine at 8:36 AM 0 comments