Reflections

I had an exciting workday today…something exploded in the building around 2pm; we had multiple fire engines, police, etc. at the medical building. By 3pm, everyone was still running around, so the senior doc called it a day. Need to say no more, we all ran for our cars before he could change his mind.

     Settling myself in for the evening with an adult beverage, I started to reflect on some of the differences between the ole church secretary job and this current one in a medical office.. Two major things came to the forefront:
          1. church people expect the church secretary to be on the job on Sunday morning or any other time she’s in the building.[yes, I said “she”…have you ever seen a male church secretary???? It goes along with the female/support roles in churches…please, don’t get me started] There seems to be this invisible signed etched on her forehead [which she knows nothing about] that says it’s ok to interrupted her for the copy machine [oh, I don’t know how to run it; there’s paper jam, I wanted pink paper instead of blue, what do I do???] while you’re sitting in the church pew getting yourself prepared for Sunday worship. It’s seems it’s ok to them that they ask your where’s this or that is, hand you something to put in the bulletin, question you why something isn’t in the bulletin, tell you their name in spelled wrong in the church phone directory and expect you to remember by Monday, all while your trying to read the sermon verse for the day. Church folk have no qualms about calling you any time of day or nite about church business, meetings, tomorrow’s agenda, etc.
          2. Church people seem to have no boundaries regarding personal or workspace. It all belongs to God, so I can take it, use it, misplace it, leave crumbs, soda, coffee, cut paper, and anything else you could do in an office and put on your desk without leaving a note or cleaning it up. God’s grace covers it all.
     I am happy to say that I have not had that happen once this week on my new job.
I left the office in the midst of a building fire with pens, paper, Monday’s scheduled appointments on my desk. I know when I come to work on Monday, that my desk will look EXACTLY as I left it…with nothing added or taken away.
     When I leave a 5pm, I leave with no expectations that I’ll get a phone call from someone at work. We had a great time conversatin at work but it’s BYE BYE for the weekend.
     Stay tuned for the continuing saga of the “ousted church secretary.”