#70 ordinary

I was doing a load of laundry and when I went to put the clothes in the dryer, the floor was wet.  Puddle wet, not a flood, but it still involved a hour of clean-up time and planted doubt about what would happen with the next load.

It made me think of one of those needlepoint pillows I saw when I was a kid that said "Thank God for Everything Ordinary."  At the time, I thought it was a ludicrous suggestion and couldn't understand the good to be found in the mundane, routine or uneventful.  Ordinary equalled boring!

But now, on more than one non-ordinary occasion such as a washer leaking, I reflect on how much ordinary we take for granted and how oftentimes ordinary is good.

I know we live in a world that mandates change and continuous improvement, but take a moment to show appreciation to those in your organization who make ordinary happen.   The receptionist who answers the phones.  The accountants who pay the bills and process your paychecks.  The data entry staff who input the orders.  The technology staff who keep the network up and running.  If your infrastructure core runs like "ordinary" on most days, you have a lot to be thankful for.

-- beth triplett
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