A Story Of Me Putting My Foot Down. Of Course When I Did, It Was On A Dead Mouse, But I Digress.

I'm sharing my mouse story today in an attempt to walk the line between crabby and enlightened.  I stood on the little guy while sorting through a few client-owned garage units in Broomfield in search of salvageable pieces to use in a staging.  We had been misled about the number of (five vs. three) and conditions (think: Hoarders meets a Hanta virus study) in said garages. It was a Sunday, my whole family had come out to help, and it was very hot.  The situation felt bad, but when I looked around and realized my loved ones had been laboring for hours under ridiculous conditions, something in me snapped.  I put a halt to all activity and contacted my client to inform him we would need to take another direction.

It felt good to stand up for our little group of workers - kind of like Sally Field's character did in 'Norma Rae'.

I had that vibe, but I texted my message.  The sweatiness and facial expressions, however, were identical.

I like to go the extra mile for a job.  I think if you're going to do something, do it well.  But when you realize something is amiss, you need to put your foot down.  That hasn't been easy for me in the past.  If it would have just been me and my mom working that day, we may have simply applied the stiff upper lip and forged ahead (unhappily).  Fear of losing a client would have kept me silent.  But maybe as a mother, when you see your loved ones, especially your kids, in a situation that you know isn't right, something in you snaps and gives you courage and conviction you wouldn't normally have.  I think that made a big difference for me.

The lesson I'm choosing to take from this is that it's okay to maintain your standards while on the job (or anytime, really) - whether or not your kids are involved - we need to do it for ourselves.  Of course, standards must be maintained politely and with good manners, but you need to speak up if things aren't right.  In the end you'll feel better because you did.  I do.

For what it's worth, stepping on a dead mouse feels like standing on a very soft rock.  Firm in a muffled sort of way.

I'm wearing this today.

The white jeans say 'I love you, Summer', but the denim shirt says, 'Is that you, Fall?"

gratitude:  affirmations from Gabby Bernstein, Whole Foods pita chips, paying school fees online, a cloudy day

thanks and love.