Work Place

Where I work is not important for what I am going to talk about, and where I used to work is not important either.  In fact is doesn't matter where any of us work, I know this will apply to all.  What I want to talk about is how some people just seem to think they are better then you.  I guess this would apply to life in general, but lets keep it at work.

It doesn't matter to me what position you are in or what degree you have, you still put your pants on the same way I do.  It comes back to respect!  Just because you have a higher position or a higher degree it does not give the right to treat others with no respect.  We all have a boss and we need to do what is asked of us; however we don't need to be talked down to when we are asked.  I spent 12 plus years in management and I know that I treated the people who worked for me with respect.  I am not saying I didn't have to get on some ones case or do write ups, because I did, but I did it with respect.  I never thought I was better then them, I was just the boss.

I have seen a lot of people go into management and completely change who they are.  They earned the position by working hard, well most of us earned it that way, and just because you are now a boss or manager does not mean you change who you are.  I would say, "don't forget where you came from".

Most of the people I work with now and in the past have been great.  But there are the select few that just tick me off.  The ones who talk to me like I am an idiot are the ones that I am talking about.  I have had several incidents where I have been talked down to and I gave it right back to them.  I don't care if they are supervisors, doctors, store directors, or the owner of a company, you do not have to right to talk down to me or anybody.  You do deserve respect but you still need to give it.   The most successful and most respected people are the ones who actually talk to and listen to the people who work for them or are in a lower position then they are.  I know my success as a manager was because I worked with and listen to the people that work for me. 

Just remember, no matter what position you are in, treat all  people with the respect they deserve and don't talk down to anyone.  You never know who you might work for some day.  What ever happens at work, whom ever talks down to you, stand your ground!  They put their pants on just like you and no one has earned the right to talk down to you. 

At least that is where I stand, but again it is just my opinion.

Trust

Yesterday while driving  there was a van in front of me with a bunch of letters on his back window.  It looked tacky but that is not what caught my eye, it is what it said that got my attention.  It read "I love my country, but don't trust my government."  And that got me thinking.

I believe most of us are proud to say we are Americans but I also believe most don't trust our government.  Its hard to trust them when they are more worried about stopping what the other side is doing. In other words the democrats and the Republicans spend more time telling each other they are wrong and trying to prove it then they do worrying about the people.  Aren't they supposed to be put there by the people for the people?  When is the last time any one in the government actually listened to the people?  I mean real people like you and me, not the lobbyist or mega rich that pay for and get what they want from the government.

How are we supposed to trust them when they keep cutting from schools, public safety etc. but you never hear of them taking a cut.  I understand trying to balance a budget, but maybe if they cut their benefits and took pay cuts then maybe they would get more support from those of us that put them their.  

I know there are some that work in the government that really do try to do good but when it comes down to it, they are going to stay along party lines and do very little compromising.  It does not matter if you are democratic or republican, until there is compromising and working together, we will not get this country back on its feet.  I have heard a lot of people blame Obama for this mess, and I will agree it has not got much better with him but you must remember that this mess started well before him.  Obama is one person, but our government has hundreds of people and Obama needs to be willing to work with them all and they need to work with him.  At this point it does not matter who is the president, until our government shows they can work together for all the people not just the mega rich, I will not trust them.  I want to trust them to do the right thing but there has been very little prof that they will.

Just my opinion, feel free to disagree.

Pizza

I just want to have some fun and talk about my favorite pizza today.   Now there are not to many pizzas that I don't like, but we all know some are better then others.  Around here in Brighton there are several pizza places, and I guess our favorite is probably Jets.  But that is not my favorite of all time. 

We have been to Chicago and ate there pizza and it was great but not my consistent favorite, not the one I like to go get when I am around.  The pizza I am talking about has been around since I was a kid and has not changed in all those years.  The main place we would get it was in my home town on 5th street in Michigan Center.  Those of you from Jackson Mi. know exactly what I am talking about, Andy's pizza.

We were in town yesterday visiting family and we decided to stop and have some Andy's, and I am now eating the left overs.  Those who eat Andy's pizza know there are always left overs.  You don't need two large pizzas for a family of four, you only need one Andy's pizza.  I don't know what it is, maybe its the crust, or the sauce, or the cheese.  Or maybe its the amount of toppings you get, but man do I love this pizza.  

I work with a guy that hunts in Jackson and a couple of years ago I introduced him to this wonderful pizza and now he gets one every time he is in Jackson.  I am just saying that Andy's has always been a great pizza and as far as I know have never changed.  If you don't know what to order then just get the special and call it good.

But don't take my opinion on it, go try some.

Friends

Everybody has friends, at least I would hope they do.  We all have people you can say oh yea, that's a friend of mine, but do you all have the friends that you would call family?  We do!!
We have friends we call simply a friend; then we have friends we would call good friends; then we have the friends we call family. Whats the difference?  Well in my book a simple friend is someone you know and or work with, you talk to each other when your around but you don't go out of your way to see. A good friend is someone you are close to and can count on, but you don't necessarily have to keep in contact with; however you know they would do most anything for you.

Now the friends we call family are in my book some of the most important to have.  You need all different kinds of friends but these ones mean the most.  These friends are always involved in your life weather you have known them for 20 plus years or just a few.  It does not matter where they are from or what they do, they are just special people that just seem to fit into your life.  We are very fortunate to have several families that fall into this category and we love them all.  It does not matter if we see them everyday or week or month, just as long as we can see them and be a part of each others life.

Again all of us have friends most of us have good friend, but I don't believe everyone has the true family friend.  Like I said we have friends that are family, but we do have family that are our friends(My wife is my best friend).  I say that because like most we have family that are not friends, in fact we could care less about seeing them. But I will not go into that today.   Bottom line for me is you need to be thankful for all friends and treasure what I call FAMILY. 

We will have friend that go from just that, a friend, to a good friend to family. And for some it happens fairly quickly.  However it could go the other way also.  For now I just want to say thank you to all my friends, and to my FAMILY, I love you all.

You don't have to agree, its just my opinion..

Respect

I was not going to post tonight but I just had a conversation that got me, well, a little worked up.  I need to talk about respect!  Everyone wants people to respect them, but not everyone gives respect.  This is common in all walks of life, from work to play. 

But I need to talk respect among family!!  How can anyone not respect their elders, or parents, or care takers?  Let me tell you how; the elders, or parents, or care takers don't give respect.  Now in my immediate family there is a lot of respect;  I respect my parents, siblings, kids, and definitely my wife and I get that respect back.  Don't get me wrong we have our disagreements and heated discussions, but in the end its all good.  However there are families out there who don't have the respect for each other.  Parents or grandparents wonder why they don't get the respect they deserve from their kids or grandkids.  That would be a good question for some families but for others it is plain as day; when you do nothing but yell and criticize and degrade your kids or grandkids and even physically abuse them, you are not going to get a good result.  I don't condone kids striking a parent or grandparent but sooner or later if all the kids get is the yelling, criticism, degrading and physical abuse, they are going to boil over.

There are some overall good kids that have not have the chance to bloom because of the way they have been raised.  The sad thing is the kids will be affected for the rest of their life, but hopefully, by some small miracle they will turn their lives around and be better parents then their own are.

The bottom line is you get what you deserve.  If you don't give the respect you will not get it back.  You treat people like they are no good, they are going to be that way to you.  Don't be surprised when they strike back and treat you the way you treat them.  You hit them and sooner or later they will hit back. And guess what, it is you fault, you got what you deserve.

Treat your kids with respect!  You can teach and discipline your kids and still show them respect.  Your kids are your future, and they are your family; if you continue to treat your family with no respect then one day you will be a lonely grumpy old person that no one cares about.
But hey, that's just my opinion.

Kids gone away

So both my girls are gone for a few days, not a big deal right?  Well my girls are 10 and 7.  My 10 almost 11 year old has gone to Canada with a friend for 5 days and my 7 year old has gone to girl scout camp for 3 days.  Some of you may think we are crazy to let them do these things and some may agree but either way they are gone.

I do get a little nervous and maybe a little restless when they are gone but I know they will be fine.  I love that they are getting these experiences and as Jayden (the 7 year old) puts it, making memories.  These are things they will always remember and learn from.  As a parent I firmly believe that kids should be able to go and do these type of things without their parents.  We have to let them learn some things on their own and trust that we have taught them well so they can learn and enjoy these times.

I love my girls more then anything, and I want to protect them from danger.  For me part of that protection comes from teaching them and trusting them to go to these camps and trips in controlled environments and letting them learn and live without us controlling the the situation.  I believe if we try and control every situation our kids are in then they will never learn to be independent from us. I don't want my kids to be dependent on us for everything they do, and I sure as heck don't want them afraid to try and do different things.

Anyway I know they are having fun and I know we made the right decision.
But that is just my opinion.