Greetings, Friends ~

I am told I do a lot of things well, but sleeping is not one of them. To be one of those people who can sleep through the waking city, right past the sunrise and straight to 10:00 a.m. – that would be heavenly. But I cannot remember a time when any night lasted that long for me, at least not from the view of my bed.

I know I am in good company. Friends on Facebook are up at the witching hour every single night. Thinking to myself as I scroll through my news feed, “What on earth are you doing up at this hour?” And then I realize…I am up too. Night after night, tossing and turning, chasing the Sandman through a labyrinth of dream lands one should only experience while asleep. He is elusive, cruel and obviously on his way to someone else’s bedroom. If I ever catch him, he and I will have a little chat.

Truth be told, sleep is not the only thing I don’t do well. I am not good at politics, being a respecter of persons, or playing career games. I am that professional woman at the table who mentally rolls her eyes when someone walks in the room and wants immediate respect based on their status. I once left when the President of the United States came into a place where me and my colleagues were hard at work. We were told he was coming. From that moment on, I was busy planning my escape route and intended to give a much-needed bathroom break as my excuse. On the scene of one of America’s biggest disasters, I was there to serve the people who had lost everything in the wake of a bad storm. I had little interest in joining my colleagues to swoon over a man I did not know and had no desire to meet. It did not matter that he was America’s leader. That did not make him a good person, in my view. Fortunately, I know myself well enough to realize when the lock between my brain and mouth is about to malfunction. In those instances, it is best I excuse myself, as this will avoid a speedy end to a good career.

The same holds true for people who think they can bypass being kind to others just because they hold high positions in their companies or agencies, have earned high college degrees or are monetarily wealthy. Don’t get me wrong. There are many good people who have accomplished those things. I know and respect several. But they are not worthy humans because of their studies, advancement at work or political positions. They are worthy of my respect because of how they treat others. It has nothing to do with whatever title or acronym follows their name on a signature block.

Other things I do not do well include: Flying without a plane (to be fair, I’ve never tried this); texting with auto correct turned on; dealing with stress related to financial difficulties; shopping for clothes that match; and keeping up with a too-crowded social schedule.

I also do not excel at being in a situation where many small children are present. They seem a bit alien-like to me. Those little nuggets are noisy, and sometimes they smell. Of course, any tiny human is a blessing and some of them are pretty darn cute. But being around a herd of them gathered in one place is just not where I personally shine. I do much better with teenagers and older kids.

The full list of things I do not do well would be long and arduous to type. Suffice it to say that I choose to focus on those things I am good at, like working; keeping countless plates in the air all spinning at once; cooking; loving passionately; standing up against wrongdoings; recovering from difficult things; supporting my daughter; and writing. I am also pretty good about leaving the employees at Wal-Mart in a better mood than when I first arrived. I am not always successful, but I give myself points for at least making the effort.

Be well,

Jana