The Side Effects of Endorphins

Geduld ist eine Tugend.

Patience is a Virtue.

I think I’m losing that skill. I’ve been working on and with this project of new windows for what feels like months on end. I am at the point where I can’t trust what contractors say. And I’m normally a very trusting person almost to the point of naïve. But I must step back and be patient and calm with workers who are actually doing the work. They are just cogs in the capitalist system doing what they’re supposed to be doing with a skill set that they have. Yes we lose patience, but we can still be nice.

Red Tape

I probably won’t be in a hospital for the next 10 years, but I’ve been in five hospitals in three weeks for tests, preventative measures, and also stitches and the removal of stitches in my left hand. The American healthcare system is a mess. I’ve dealt with lots of people over the last few weeks and every single person I met has been kind and attentive. That is despite a less than effective health care system.

There is no most when it comes to skill sets. I’m sitting here writing this with contractor surrounding me just flying everywhere and trying to be patient and just for grandson giggles. I’m gonna come up with 10 underrated skill sets,.

• Winging it. – life doesn’t come with a blueprint and there are times you just have to figure it out on your own
• Use your opposite hand or feet. I am right handed and do most things right, but it comes in handy to be able to use your left hand or left foot.
• Doing Math in ones head. I don’t even know how you hone that skill set and I’m very good at it. Hopefully, nobody’s going to rip me off for the back of the envelope calculation.
• Knowing your surroundings. I taught my kids to be familiar with their surrounding so there will be times when you have to figure out where you’re going without a map.
• Remembering names – I’m not great at it. Using heuristics or other tools.
• Giving correct change – there’s a proper way to give change and when people do it correctly, there’s no room for error and it works every single time.
• Driving Stick Shift – that comes a time and everybody’s life where you may need to drive stick shift. I remember the time my brother had too many beers and I had to drive stick shift. I stalled a few times, but I got it done.
• Know the Alphabet Backwards – a coworker one said to me while working on a big project. She said I wish I would’ve memorized the alphabet backwatds this Morning.
• Be Kind – it comes in handy in more situations than you can imagine
• I only have nine, but a handy skill to learn is to count to 20 in a few different languages. It’s kind of fun. I used to work on a project in Texas and we had multiple consultants, throwing stress balls, and harassing each other and it was hard to concentrate, but one guy on the project had two hyperactive kids, and he was never distracted.

We can talk to we are Blue in the face, but I don’t know if it’s an overlooked skill, but it sure comes in handy