Ice Patch

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – At our Aylmer office there used to be a huge pothole at the beginning of the walkway from the parking lot on the north side. It was full of water almost all the time in the warm months unless a severe drought turned it into a dry trip hazard. In winter, it was a either a smooth ice patch or half melted and up broken ice patch, both equally hazardous. The pothole was a regular topic of conversation at the office, as it was dangerous for all. 

And then the pothole was fixed. The horrible portal to centre earth that annoyed and challenged us every day was made smooth and level with glorious new pavement, leaving not a hazard in sight. 

So, why do we not keep talking about the repaired hole? The fix was such a wondrous improvement one would think that we’d be talking on and on about how amazingly safe it is. Lauding the new reality should take up the same air time as alerting each other to the hazard and complaining, no? Well, that would be counter to human nature and really isn’t what could be called interesting adult conversation. 

We do not naturally sit around discussing the great parts of the job, or the wonderful well-working equipment. There is, it seems, a natural gravitational pull to focus our conversation on annoyances, troubles and complaints. 

The new paved patch heading onto the walkway at Aylmer is amazing, thank you to everyone that made it happen – you have made it safer for all of us who use that office year-round. 

Let’s challenge ourselves every day this week to see something amazing and call it out, name it, talk about it. I bet the ripples of joy will spread further than the old Aylmer pothole ever did.