How Many Families Do You Have?

            “This is my home; I have responsibilities for people inside the building, including the users, patrons, and staff.” This was what I heard from Lynette, my branch manager, as she reconstructed an event taken place the other day to give me details allowing me to learn about how to handle and deal with a similar situation. The word, “Home,” was what I heard loud and clear and it’s not just a word. The sincerity and seriousness of Lynette and her attitude and mind set weighed much heavier and went through and beyond the meaning of that singular word.

Indeed, this is a place I would call “Home” for I spent my eight golden waking hours here to enjoy the day walking, shelving, talking, maneuvering, and serving the public as well as my coworkers. I prefer the term “coworkers” more than others for an obvious reason: it’s CO-workers. To me, CO means mutual, collaboration, cooperation and a sharing of love working together as a team, a team formed and operated at a place I call “Home” and “family.” When Lynette said this is her “Home” I felt a chord inside of me being struck, echoing, ripple waving and spreading from inside out. I was sitting there as if I were her child given a valuable lecture for me to develop, grow, and glow. Though I am way much older than Lynette still, right then I felt humble, eager, and willing to listen in and be advised.

Excellence is not an option or choice; it’s a standard, an index, and a goal for me to try out, to seek, and to test myself. Always a questioner and seeker, the meaning of life, mine and my fellow beings’ occupies me following me day and night; it even penetrates and intrudes me through dreams. As I get older, solutions and answers are more reasonable, approachable, and logical. To be honest, I don’t expect any firm or solid answers for there might be none. The fun of asking questions and seeking answers is the paths I might have taken; people I would have run into, events might be taken place that I have witnessed, and, the course itself. Processes, or courses, you name it are actually the route to light, light where answers reside.

People made my day though they didn’t have clue why; it’s my secret to gain happiness, have sense of greatness and achievement, and own feeling of belonging. Happiness doesn’t exist; it would come when two elements meet each other at the right place, at the right time, and with the right person. It’s like the strike of a lightning in the pitch darkness; it takes two energies/ forces, yin and yang to meet, strike, and sparkle. The brightness, length, and the duration of that sparking lightning rely upon who the two people are, what they do, and where they encounter.

Midday of today Lynette and I had a conversation on shelving tasks. Lynette protested “Are we fighting for what to shelve now?” This questioning style statement from our manager, Lynette made Jennifer giggle and say “That’s classic.” I couldn’t help but stare at Jennifer’s smiling bright face and laugh silently. This is the kind of family I long to own: members are able to tease each other to lessen the heaviness of never ending coming tasks, to cheer up each other whenever there is a challenge or an issue needed to be fixed, to encourage each other when unavoidable downturns are present and have to be rid of as soon as possible, and to let each other know we have done a great job. The shelving tasks today have been handled so well that Lynette and I had to “fight” over the only one labeled nonfiction truck to see who had the honor to shelve the last one numbered truck. It’s like a silent “High Five” struck and exchanged in the air, in the hearts of my family members.

Tasks would become interesting games if shared and acclaimed by members. The will and desire to meet and fulfill goals come automatically from a person’s mind and heart without asked for or requested. Though I like to practice by myself, single-handed, offers to assist from my coworkers usually would buy my heart, make my day, and melt me as if natural warmth from humanity and partnership are generated by the person’s genuine offer. Good will and passion are values I cherish and admire in a person. They are invisible yet sung loud and clear when I discover them in a person.

Lynette is the mother hen watching over me and my coworkers. Her soft and quiet voice usually soothes me and makes me wonder what secrets hidden inside for her to own such serenity that I am short of. The unseen and protective gigantic wings of Lynette’s allow each of us to freely be ourselves. I truly enjoy her saying “Don’t kill me, Mei-Wan” whenever I approached her and said “Lynette, I have a question.” I am a troublemaker in her motherly eyes.

Being a green, growing librarian, I felt I have a pair of featherless wings, transparent, vulnerable, fragile, and weak. It’s given years ago when I was still a page. With help of Lynette and my family members (including coworkers in the library), one day, this aspiring librarian would be able to spread her strong grown wings, fly joyfully with freedom, weightlessly and, at the same time, grow and develop other promising and aspiring chicks with wings of their own kind.

How many homes or families do you have? I am blessed to have more than one. My families recognized me, refined me, and defined who I am and promoted me to become what I could be.