A moment of reflection
Amid all the hecticness over 24/7 publishing deadlines, stretched-thin staff and the challenge of understanding a new business model, it is hard sometimes to remember to stop and take a deep breath.
This column in The New York Times reminded me. Unfortunately, you have to register to read it. But it's worth it.
It is about a geriatric doctor going about her rounds and how she falls into the trap of treating death as just another part of her busy day. The nut graf for me: I learned that day that I needed to slow myself down, to appreciate the gravity of the moment, the power of time and the depth and proximity of my work. It was a very big deal.
In this business, we don't deal in death, most days. But we do start the day at a run and end the day in a sprint, with a bunch of 50-yard dashes in between. And then the run starts all over again. It is, I know, not unlike many other businesses. This just happens to be the one I know and love.
It is worth remembering that we should stop every so often to reflect on what we have: the pleasure of going wherever we like and asking all sorts of impertinent, important questions of others; the opportunity to learn new skills as our craft evolves and expands; the joy of working alongside inquisitive, passionate and funny people; and the attention of tens of hundreds of thousands of people who look at our work, including many of whom who pay cash money for it.
That's worth appreciating.
Now, back to work.
Comments (1)
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So true. Staying focused on our daily job is easy; but to momentarily pause and reflect on it is not. But, without that reflection, how would we know who we are, and what is important to us?
I am a retired engineer, and it is wonderful to have the time to write and read. And yet, so often I forget to take a deep breath and appreciate this precious moment. It is my two grandchildren, ages six and four years old, who shake me out of my busy schedule and bring the moment to my notice. Whenever they visit from out of State, I try to spend a good part of my day with them, cooking for them, playing with them, and reading for them.
One of their favorite books is Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! I might have read the book to them a hundred times. Although they know the book from end to end, and especially the six-year-old has memorized the words and phrases from it, the request comes again and again: “Oh, Grandma! Can you read it again today?” How earnestly they listen!
Such enthusiasm keeps me reading again and again. Like the geriatric physician you referred to, I say to myself: it is a big deal. I am being a part of their lives. I give them a treasury of memories.
Posted on July 23, 2008 4:47 PM