Thought of the Day 08.19.08

As many of you know, I’m prone to being judgmental and having pet peeves. No, no. It’s true. For instance, when other people use my broadcast studio for their own shows on the weekend, they often move stuff around. So every Monday morning, I have to waste a whopping 10 or 20 seconds putting chairs and microphones back where they belong.

One thing I always let bother me was the computer screen, which I need in one place but which gets moved every weekend. Even though I totally understand why it needs to move, I feel like this is my office and guests should put things back where they belong. But they don’t. So last Friday I tried something. I moved it myself before leaving.

On Monday it was still in the wrong place like always, but now I had the joy of knowing that, since I was responsible, there was no one else to be peeved at. And I had also spared some stranger the irritation of having to move it himself. By submitting to and serving the needs of others, I actually managed to turn an irritant into a gift I could feel proud of.