Points to Ponder: You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first. "If you don’t take care of yourself, nobody else would." advice from one senior manager in my first company.(1975-83)
Story Line:
It was four o’ clock in the afternoon. Having no meeting for that hour, I went to the break room in one part of our company building. While sitting on a sofa, I noticed a guy sitting on one of the tables in the corner, eating something. A few minutes later his coworker walked in and asked, “Eating an early dinner?” To which he replied, “No, eating late lunch.” They chatted for a short while and then she left.
Having overheard the conversation, I approached the guy to confirm what I had heard that he was eating his lunch at four in the afternoon was true. To which he nodded yes. Even though it was not be any of my business, I felt compelled to ask the follow up question, “Do you have a family?” He told me that he had a wife and a little girl. I could see the shine on his face when he mentioned about his little girl. He seemed to know where my line of concerns/questions was heading. So before I could say anymore, he told me that his work had to be finished because of an aggressive project deadline.
I told him, “God forbid but if you don’t take care and something happened to you what would happen to your family?” I noticed the degree of concern building up on his face. I continued “My friend, in case something happened to you, the company policy allows only seventy five dollars for sympathy items; flowers take up most of it, and some department managers who are fanatic about cost might insist that the money must include the sympathy card and the delivery cost. A few friends from work might stop by to see your family for the first few months and then follow up with occasional phone calls to your wife. But in the most cases that’s as far as it would go. “Please take care of yourself first” I said. I believe he appreciated what he had heard. We had a very warm handshake before going our own ways.
A few weeks later, I saw him eating lunch in another breakroom of the company. It was two-o’clock in the afternoon. Upon seeing me, he immediately said, “Making progress.” And we both smiled.
The very last time I saw him was in the hallway at 12:45 in the afternoon. As soon as he saw me, he signaled Thumbs Up. I expressed my pleasure with a smile.
Reflection:
Why this story came to mind now? Last Year, seven people I knew from my 40 years in industry left this world. Five between the ages of 59 to 72 from one company I had worked for and the two at 79 and 88 from the first company I had worked for. One of the common messages that two of them gave to the friends who had come to visit them in their last days was: You have to take care of yourself first.
Happy New Year to All Readers Around The World.