My A to Z Challenge Theme this year is the ABC's of me. Each day in the month of April with the exception of Sundays I will be posting about one aspect of my life that begins with the letter of the day.
It's time for some A to Z catch-up. , I am currently 2 posts behind. The next letter is Q so let's get right to it shall we?
H was for Husband of One Amazing Wife
Q is for Quintessential Worker
Quintessential: perfectly typical or representative of a particular kind of person or thing
Merriam Webster On-line Dictionary
Synonyms for quintessential:
Classic, Exemplary, Definitive
It's been over 5 years since the co-vid shut down and some of the things that were common place back then are getting a little fuzzy in our collective memories. Social distancing, the prevalence of masks, one way lanes in supermarkets, daily co-vid updates, drive by graduation celebrations, zoom game nights lessened and some all but disappeared. The necessity and celebration of essential workers has changed somewhat as well. I was an essential worker for a year at the onset of co-vid. Stocking grocery shelves overnight and glad for the work.
It was nice being an essential worker but I have always strived to be a quintessential worker. Colossians 3:23-24 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." I have always tried to model that verse in my work life.
Work for me has always been more about meeting needs than having a career. Some of those needs were the financial needs of me and my family. Other of those needs were the needs of my customers. There were also the needs of my employers and co-workers. Each job I have had , and I've had lots of them has always had a component of ministry.
I remember when I was making the transition between corporate customer service and education working a part time/ seasonal job at Amazon. A shift could easily segue from more work than people to do it to more people than work to do. When the latter happened, I would always try to find some way to be useful. One day I asked my manager for a reference. He said to me "Dave, you work with a sense of urgency." I only worked that job four months and am in my 7th school year as a substitute teacher since then. I have also worked several 2nd jobs and summer jobs in that time. In each of these jobs I have reflected on my managers comment and continue to work with that sense of urgency.
Sometimes that means going out of my way at the movie theatre to make sure patrons enjoy their experience or at school making sure a student doesn't miss his bus while he goes back to his room to get his backpack. Sometimes it means making jokes to customers ,students or co-workers just to brighten their day a little.
I worked in customer and client relations at a mortgage company for about 10 years coinciding with the first 10 years of my marriage. My checks were automatically deposited to my banking account, but this wasn't as prevalent as it is now. Many employees received paper checks and all employees received an envelope every 2 weeks with at least the paystub if not a paycheck for the previous pay periods work. Most every time my boss handed out our envelopes I would remark, "This is great, I thought I was volunteering."
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that working is more than 401 K's, paid vacations and insurance benefits. I'm glad I've been able to experience and benefit from those things. but it's also about being a positive influence, having a servant's attitude, and a team spirit.
That's Q for Quintessential Worker.
