My team had a major 1:30 deadline today. We were to demo our project work to the entire project team including the business. I got out of bed this morning to find that things were not ready for the 1:30 demo. I was calm. I have walked on many planes as the boarding door closed behind me, and I know you land in the same spot at the end of the flight.
I got to the office to find that as part of the effort to meet the deadline, one of my team members made a mistake that harmed an existing application, and my entire morning was spent unf’ing his mistake and running air cover with angry users. I was calm. I took accountability for the mistake; I fixed it; my guy learned from it. We had just one more thing to process to be ready for the demo.
At noon, I had a user at my desk with an urgent request. We still were not ready for the demo. I went to my managers, and I called it off. I cited the fact that the actual promised delivery time was tomorrow in the AM, which at this point we are 100% on track for, and reminded them that the demo was scheduled for 1:30 today (before the deadline) because there happened to be a project team meeting each week at that time. The response from my managers was one of calmness.
At 1:15 we were ready for the demo. I took a look the tool, and it was looked rock solid. On the fly in the project meeting, I asked to take the floor and do the demo. It was EXTREMELY well received.
I have a lot of natural energy. I seldom feel tired during the day. By the end of the work day today, I felt completely wiped out.
My little birds didn’t have that problem. On the drive home, Little Chirp was telling us about his upcoming Easter Egg hunt. He felt so excited about every detail of the story that he kept beginning each sentence with, “And Guess What?” After the fifth or so, “And Guess What?” Brainy Bird and I burst into laughter. Little Chirp loves to make us laugh, and this had him grinning from ear to ear.
When we got home Brainy Bird set out on his bike as part of his triathlon training, and I opened the freezer to pull out some chicken. Apparently, I forgot to buy chicken. We buy nearly all fresh food, which we eat each week. Frozen chicken is one of the few things that is kept in stock in the freezer. I looked in the pantry for a source of protein, and I came up short. I went back to the freezer. I had two choices – a loaf of Ezekiel Whole Grain bread or a bag of shrimp. I was so tired. I had no desire to peel shrimp, so I went with the loaf of bread – grilled cheese sandwiches.
Brainy Bird came in from his bike ride, and I felt bad for my lame dinner. I usually cook pretty elaborately for my little birds. There was a look of absolute delight on Brainy Bird’s face when he saw what I was making. “Am I getting a special dinner because I did my bike ride?” He asked. This made my day.
We all sat down together at our large kitchen island, and I watched Little Chirp devour his sandwich. He is passionate about his food, and I never tire of seeing him enjoy himself at the dinner table. Brainy Bird enjoyed his too, and when he was finished. He thanked me for making him one of his favorites. Little Chirp chimed in behind him with a , “Thank you Mommy that I love.”
A grilled cheese sandwich is a beautiful thing.