It was one of those mornings a few days ago. I had
plenty of things on my to-do list for work, but nothing got accomplished.
Things were popping up constantly. The people responsible for
loading the rates that underwriting and the actuarial pricing area agreed to
were having problems with a particular state. I was called in to help
diagnose what wasn't working and how it could be addressed. We isolated
the problem to something that the IT department was doing and could prove it.
That was a relief to everyone because at least we can shove that issue
off to them. They hardly ever admit to making a mistake even though we think
they make a lot more mistakes than us. After that I tried to get back to what
I planned to do that day.
My plans were dashed not too long after though. One of the underwriting managers came to me and wanted to speak to me about an upcoming rate review for one of his states. He was concerned about the hog confinements or something (I work in the farmowners line of business now). Okay, great, I'd be glad to talk about it. I wasn't truly prepared for that conversation then and there, though. During our conversation I see the manager's point of view and agree to make some tweaks to our proposal. Even though the tweaks were small in magnitude, they still required a lot of Excel manipulation time by me. The changes took a fair bit of time to do and then look over again for errors. I then disseminated the changes I made to the affected parties.
By this time it is 12:00 and my stomach was gurgling because I don't eat a large breakfast, and had only eaten a bowl of Grape-Nuts that morning. I didn't have any lunch plans with anyone, so I went off to this new-to-me food court off the skywalk system. I had only discovered it a couple weeks before. I had been there once and ordered some sort of bland fajita dish from the Bosnian vendor. This time I had decided on the gyro vendor.
On my walk over there and as I was waiting in line, I got to thinking about whether or not I was really making a difference in my job. I was doing exactly what my employer wanted me to do: act in the best interest of the company implementing various parts of our farmowners line of business. But, something felt hollow because things were not going according to plan that day. I had not been able to get anything accomplished that I thought I would be doing. So, I probably had a concerned look on my face at the time. I was also zoned out in my own thoughts. This is not normal for me. Usually when I am lost in my own thoughts, I'll still be keenly watching and observing every little movement. You wouldn't even know that I was not processing what I was seeing.
That's when it happened.
It was my turn to order and I hadn't even noticed. There was a five foot gap between me and the counter. The lady behind the counter, late forties to early fifties in age, kindly asked me if anything was wrong. I guess she had noticed the concerned look on my face. This jolted me out of my own reflection. Now I am normally not one that seeks to be the center of attention. I say normally because there are certainly times that I will act with the full intention of being the center of attention. This was not one of those times, though. I apologized for my spaced out actions, and then proceed to quickly make up my mind on the spicy gyro. I then go wait in the designated area to receive my order. When I pick up my order, the same lady - the only one up front - gave me a reassuring smile and a small little Tootsie Roll. I'm confident that all of the meals there come with a Tootsie Roll, but the action combined with her demeanor made me, to keep up with the Tootsie Roll theme, melt.
I may be a little bit crusty on the outside during the times I need to be serious at work, but it is possible that I have a soft portion on the inside, just like a Tootsie Roll.
My plans were dashed not too long after though. One of the underwriting managers came to me and wanted to speak to me about an upcoming rate review for one of his states. He was concerned about the hog confinements or something (I work in the farmowners line of business now). Okay, great, I'd be glad to talk about it. I wasn't truly prepared for that conversation then and there, though. During our conversation I see the manager's point of view and agree to make some tweaks to our proposal. Even though the tweaks were small in magnitude, they still required a lot of Excel manipulation time by me. The changes took a fair bit of time to do and then look over again for errors. I then disseminated the changes I made to the affected parties.
By this time it is 12:00 and my stomach was gurgling because I don't eat a large breakfast, and had only eaten a bowl of Grape-Nuts that morning. I didn't have any lunch plans with anyone, so I went off to this new-to-me food court off the skywalk system. I had only discovered it a couple weeks before. I had been there once and ordered some sort of bland fajita dish from the Bosnian vendor. This time I had decided on the gyro vendor.
On my walk over there and as I was waiting in line, I got to thinking about whether or not I was really making a difference in my job. I was doing exactly what my employer wanted me to do: act in the best interest of the company implementing various parts of our farmowners line of business. But, something felt hollow because things were not going according to plan that day. I had not been able to get anything accomplished that I thought I would be doing. So, I probably had a concerned look on my face at the time. I was also zoned out in my own thoughts. This is not normal for me. Usually when I am lost in my own thoughts, I'll still be keenly watching and observing every little movement. You wouldn't even know that I was not processing what I was seeing.
That's when it happened.
It was my turn to order and I hadn't even noticed. There was a five foot gap between me and the counter. The lady behind the counter, late forties to early fifties in age, kindly asked me if anything was wrong. I guess she had noticed the concerned look on my face. This jolted me out of my own reflection. Now I am normally not one that seeks to be the center of attention. I say normally because there are certainly times that I will act with the full intention of being the center of attention. This was not one of those times, though. I apologized for my spaced out actions, and then proceed to quickly make up my mind on the spicy gyro. I then go wait in the designated area to receive my order. When I pick up my order, the same lady - the only one up front - gave me a reassuring smile and a small little Tootsie Roll. I'm confident that all of the meals there come with a Tootsie Roll, but the action combined with her demeanor made me, to keep up with the Tootsie Roll theme, melt.
I may be a little bit crusty on the outside during the times I need to be serious at work, but it is possible that I have a soft portion on the inside, just like a Tootsie Roll.
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