In Michigan, though we never seem to fall short of ways to joke about the weather fluctuations, we can usually count on January to be consistently cold and snowy. Yet, somehow, the thermometer has peaked at nearly 50 degrees several days this week. The forecast for the rest of the week? Between 8-10 inches of the fluffy white stuff! There’s nothing like the unpredictable to overcomplicate getting dressed for the work day—as well as our commute to start or end the day.

Over the years, I have volunteered for a number of different organizations. And I’ve done it for a number of reasons: desire to help people in need, passion for a particular cause, and an interest in growing my community. Never once did I decide to do it because of a strong need to feel appreciated.

That said, I have a confession: when, at one organization, I felt frustrated over their poor communication and unresponsiveness, I kind of lost the drive to continue giving my valuable time and talent. And, after repeated incidents of feeling like all of my work was just being sucked into a gaping void, I decided to step down.  

If your office is anything like ours during November and December, then there’s probably a tray of cookies, a tin of peppermint bark, and/or a basket of gourmet cheese around every corner—as well as a sneaky little feast fairy waiting to sprinkle on the unwanted pounds. Definitely not the kind of holiday magic any of us is wishing for!

While working as a department supervisor, I had a team leader reporting to me who had a peculiar ritual: at the start of each day and again at 3:00 in the afternoon she and her team would stand up and sing together “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” complete with hand claps during the refrains. This was odd to me, for one because we were located in Michigan, and two because, well, I just didn’t get it. I thought it was annoying, disruptive, and total a waste of time. And, in the end, I actually told her she had to stop. This didn’t go over well, and I became even less popular than I already was.

Now that I’ve had many years to mature and reflect on my period of tyranny, I’ve come to see it all more clearly. What she knew that I didn’t at the time was that these breaks in the work day were critical to maintaining high morale, keeping her team energized, and building unity among everyone. And to think I destroyed all of that with one single no. :sigh:

If you’re a regular Baudville customer, then you’ve likely seen the Spinner Ornaments we’ve developed in past years for our holiday product launch. Seems every year our Spinners get more and more popular, which fuels us to create more and more designs.