Ruby, Abby,
and I had a great time at the Time Tea meeting today though Abby and I had to
take turn attending the meeting due to shortage of staff. When the number of
members became slim the situation itself created a great opportunity to learn
about personal backgrounds, individual life experiences, and other private
issues. Today was one of the good examples between Ruby and me.
We talked
about the current issues at hand: Sherri’s attending a wedding in the windy
city: Chicago, Fiona’s taking care of a family whose 3 year-old son is battling
with certain cancer, and Lily’s busy schedule around the coming holiday season.
Then back to Ruby’s and my own life in the past week. Though the setting was in
the library’s auditorium, the soft and warm dim lights embracing the two of us
made us feel like seating at a quiet corner in a high end coffee shop sipping
our tea, savoring goodies on the table, and enjoying each other’s company. The
atmosphere opened two hearts and invited soul talking. It’s another successful
session of the Tea Time.
In return,
Ruby and I asked personal questions regarding to the experiences of learning
foreign languages. Ruby wished she could have had the right mind set to have a
well defined and designed plan 10 years earlier. At younger age, it’s difficult
to own a clear view or perspective for there were so many distractions going on
in a person’s life: births of children, fulfillment of careers, relationship to
build and maintain. One’s mind and heart were always on the race for something
“due” tomorrow or things to acquire and keep. Busy, busy, busy.
My case was
similar to what Ruby told me. There were worries seeming hard to deal with or
overcome that I got myself stuck on the loop of worrying. I didn’t learn the
power of positive thinking at that period of time. It’s after I entered the
library world that I got to know more about myself. Instead of worrying things
or imaging the unknown and uncertainty, I have learned how to see situations,
events, and things from different angles. And don’t forget the power of
reflection and self-awareness. The brain and mind are for thinking, pondering,
creating, and reflecting. A life without reflection and thinking is a life
empty of hope and void of dream. At least, that’s what happened to me.
The mission
statement is a shared value for everyone working for the library. Because you
have faith in it, you believe and make a connection between the mission the
library wants to achieve and what you can contribute to make that mission
accomplished. The mission statement serves as a voice loudly claims what the
public library can do to make a difference in a person’s life, to the
communities it serves. It is also a reminder and foundation for the staff to
remember why what they do matter to the users, to the society.
Ruby’s case
encourages me to go for my goals: to the serve the people, to create value for
the other people and to touch people’s lives. A person grows into a millionaire
by saving a penny from the beginning. Without the number 1 ahead of the many
zeros all there will be are zeros. Ruby is the 1 I am saving and investing.
There is hope that 1 (one) will generate another 1 and two will grow into four.
I am not that good at math but good enough to bet that the number will become
bigger if I go on trying, giving, and sharing. Who knows what the number will
be. It’s a mystery worth of working on. Let’s see.
No comments:
Post a Comment