Relationships

Friday, November 13, 2020

The dogs love staying eight-hours inside while I’m at work being trained in my new role. It took a nanosecond for them to recognize on going outside that shortly they’ll be re-invited inside. After a time or two of five or ten five minutes outside they’ve learned to huddle at the deck-slider, barking to remind me. In this cold weather it’s good they’re inside, for Miles is arthritic and Louie is recovering from a sprained back.

Meanwhile, I’m learning about my new role and adjusting. For many years I’ve handed out samples at Costco and in the process have escaped the business’s paperwork end. In my new job a daily priority is detailed, hefty paperwork. It’s how our branch team communicates with our home office team. The paperwork requires computer skills and speedy processing, and we must gather numbers from computers in the Costco business office to assemble with other data from our own computer.

It’s been shocking to realize that the two online business systems are unlike anything I’ve known and each differs from the other. Plus, the various keyboards aren’t like mine at home and require more learning. So I’ve been stumbling and slow to gather information. It’s frustrating, but learning is a processes and I resist being too hard on myself. My manager worries though, because she must have me “trained” by the end of tomorrow, and before next week when I’ll re-start working part-time.

Another big part of this has been learning to team with another person. That means creating a relationship of mutual comfort and confidence, in skills, dependability, and trust. We avoid areas of differences, like politics, religion, and such. There is a mutual trust developing, we will team together well.

This week during my long hours away from home, my across-the-road neighbor has baby sat the horses.

I’m thrilled the trio may be all day on grass. They walk over with me in early light, and hurry toward me in early darkness when I’m returning for them. They are easy and cooperative in both directions of our walks.

Dogs are inside, horses are on grass, and I’m starting to re-settle at work. All’s good.

Dear friends: Working with animals forces aside all thoughts about other sorts of work. Diana