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Friday, July 22, 2011

Business Meetings, AKA, Sleeping in Gethsemane

I slept through an important business meeting this morning. Actually, it was a conference call. The semi-anonymity this venue provided made it possible for me to feign attention for quite some time, until I woke to the rudeness of a dial tone buzzing in my ear.

Fortunately, I have a very understanding boss, who knows how busy he keeps me with appointments and servicing our clients. Although he has other workers who contribute more than I do to the success of our operation, he understands that sometimes I feel responsible for the entire weight of the firm. He just smiles and waits for me to come to my senses when I take on too much. Sometimes it takes a "wakeup call" like this morning to force me to prioritize. When I do slow down for a reality check, I always find my boss more than willing to go over my schedule with me and help me trim the fat.

I must confess this isn't the first time I've fallen asleep on the job. And, though I certainly won't get fired because it's a family business, my colleague, who also happens to be my sister, is probably none too happy with me. It fell to her to pitch our proposals to the boss, and it was she who listened expectantly to his feedback as I dozed. Also, I have a sneaking suspicion this little mishap may take me out of the running (for the time being, anyway) for that promotion I had my eye on. Although the perks from the higher position would have had been on hold till the distant future, they were worth waiting for: prestige, acclaim by my peers, and a personal "well done" from the boss.

After lunch, I felt another siesta coming on. This one caused me to arrive back to my desk late. I should have seen it coming. Eating a heavy meal in the middle of the day is always a setup for me, but I gave in to the call of the ice cream anyway. After snoozing through an afternoon assignment, I returned bleary-eyed to my computer and had to scramble to catch up on my backlog.

Another set of employees long ago also fell prey to the song of the Sandman. Their names were Peter, James and John, and, oddly enough, they answered to the same Boss that I do today. They, too, had trouble staying awake during decision-making times when unity was called for. They, too, failed to meet their responsibilities when time was of the essence. They, too, experienced their Boss's mercy when they failed to be "team players," and found Him waiting patiently with new sets of instructions when they finally got back on the job.

So what will I do tomorrow when my "colleague" and prayer partner, Tina, calls at 7 AM to pray? Will I sleep through another business meeting, or rise ready to serve my Employer?

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