Jake, my chair, off-site

Mama was up very early this morning to get Jake to the airport. I woke a few minutes before her alarm was set to wake her, so I stirred her up gently. That gave her a few more minutes to get herself ready than she had planned which is generally a good thing. She likes to cut it close on timing no matter what the occasion. When it comes to meeting an appointment that will not accommodate tardiness, it often worries me. But things worked out. Traveling to Love Field in Ft. Worth is much easier at 3 am than at 3 pm so we were not worried about traffic, but you never know what might be happening on the busy roads we have around here. Mama was actually back home as I was doing my morning Bible reading. She had gotten there on time, checked Jake’s bag at curbside and watched Jake as he progressed through a very long security line. She had left her purse in the car, so she did not have her license with her. That would have allowed her to go through security with Jake. He is fifteen so he did not need the extra oversight. Mama just would have liked a longer, more formal goodbye. Jake seemed to enjoy his stay with us. He even began planning for next year as he was packing his final things last night. Mama and I are praying that the Lord will send someone across his path that will encourage him in the Lord. He has very little encouragement in spiritual things at home, so we are glad to have a change to encourage his every year. Plus, he is a fun young man.

When I got to the office this morning my chair was missing. I have an older, well used ergonomic chair but it is an ergonomic chair rather than a boardroom style chair. I have a rough idea why it was taken, but I cannot be sure. Yesterday I made some repairs to the arm rests using black duct tape. Now I have to use a very uncomfortable chair which does not sit up straight and requires my wrists be pressed against the edge of the desk to use the keyboard. It is not comfortable. I will tolerate it for as long as I can, but I am not sure what the solution is since it is the style of chair that is most common in the office. I should thank the Lord for the time I had with the chair that was taken from me, but the discomfort will eventually take its toll. I am not pleased at all. Added to the displeasure of the required desk move on Friday, I would venture to say I am even more anxious to work full time in our business. There are other things I am feeling in the background that alarm me, but I do not feel those are aimed at me personally. Just an unpleasant stirring. Time will tell.

I will spend the day off-site with my work group today. We are looking into the future this week. Trying to see where we need to head with training over the next decade. I have long been a believer in making a five-year and a ten-year plan, but I do not see the efficacy in trying to imagine things twenty years out. Too much can happen over that long a timeframe. But that is what we are tasked to do this week. Look twenty years into the future and set in motion the things that will put our company in the forefront of the industry over that expanse of time. I am all for setting a vision, but we better be ready to adapt whatever strategy is adopted as we actually try to meet the marked needs as they also adapt to ever changing conditions across the industry.

It should be fun to hear the ideas that come out today.