Stories - FD Thornton

After being laid-up in bed for a week, I guess if nothing else I've learned or at least been reminded, that no one's an island. You see, I think of myself as being pretty self-reliant, the one who takes care of things. Well when something puts you flat on your back, it tends to grab your attention. And, discovering that I can't do it all has certainly grabbed my attention.  No matter how hard me try and micromanage our lives there are times when you have to let go of the reins. Sometimes you just have to lay there, listen to others, and let things fix themselves. And, let me tell you this isn't easy to do. When you're use to doing it yourself, allowing others to help is the worst. Or at least it feels that way. My point is, all of us have a limit. And when you reach your's don't be afraid to ask for help. There actually may be someone who wants to help, but you won't let them. Don't be afraid to let go. Control isn't all it's cracked up t

You may have noticed I haven't posted in a few days. Usually this is because of a heavy class schedule or maybe I just wasn't inspired. Well this week a combination of two problems have me flat on my back waiting to get well. For one an infection has down and in pain, plus I have a pinched nerve in my upper back that sends a warm, unpleasant, sharp tingle up my right arm.  So while laying here I got to thinking how you never know when some little something can totally change your everyday plans.  I'm not much one for surprises, so when this one, two, punch hit me I wasn't very happy. You see I one of those guys who likes grab the situation by the @#lls and taking change. I guess if I had to learn something from this it is: learn to let go and allow others to run the show. Plus, don't ignore your body, especially when it tells you you're not 20 years old anymore.  And most importantly, while I like to think I'm a pretty important cog in this machine. The

Earlier this morning I finished up a letter to the career coach I've been assigned. Hopefully at the end of our discussions I'll have a better handle and focus on my next career move. Later I went to our local market to pick-up some items for supper (that's dinner to some of you). Anyway, my old friend the asst. manager was working. Since I was the only one in the store, we caught up for a minute about what's going on with ourselves. As I told her about how optimistic I was about this career coach, she sorta' shrugged it off saying, "Ah, you ain't goin' nowhere, and neither 'am I". Not wanting to get too deep, I just let the words roll off and said good-by.      As I put up the groceries and come into the office to study, it occurred to me, how many more people like her and maybe myself feel the same way? You see, over five years ago, before the economy fell through, I made a plan for myself. A plan where I wasn't going to simply set

I remember during my senior year in high school a few months before graduation. I received a large box that contained my graduation invitations, my little name cards, and a box of thank-you note cards. For days after the box arrived my mom and I (mostly mom) pulled out the address book and fill out invitations for family and friends. As we worked on invitations mom mentions to write down on a sheet of paper the names of people who send graduation gifts. When I asked way she said, "so we can send them a thank-you note", as she pointed to the box on the side. Then just as any usual teenager would mention I said, "what's the point they know who they are." She sternly replied, "because it's courteous." In today's faster-paced world where waiting for a download or dinner at a restaurant seems to be a chore. We think less and less about courtesy, especially in the business world. I don't know why I think about it, maybe it's the generatio

Sometimes when I watch TV or look at the Internet I think to myself, “I wonder what it would be like to be pretty?” Now don’t take this as some self-deprecating idea of my total self. But after a few years, you tend to know who the pretty ones are. Growing up an ugly duckling that never got on the swan train, you can usually end up with some pretty friends. So I got to see how this pretty thing worked. As a male you got to lead, not by asking, but by being picked. As a male, you never had a problem getting a date with the prettiest girl in school. Also as a male, because of your attractiveness, you had the confidence to do anything without the fear of being taunted forever for it. Now some of my pretty friends would argue that life isn’t a bed of roses. They would have me believe being picked the leader comes with a lot of pressure. That having girls fall all over you make it difficult to find the one true love of your life; or that while they may have that winning smile, the

Sometimes I can get so envious of people who seem to have themselves all together. Their courses have been set, their lives appear in constant motion. Their going somewhere, doing something, being someone. These are the one's that make the tiny steps I make seem pathetic, unimpressive, and just plain sad. I stated earlier in my post that I think too much, and when  do think too much, I end up second guessing my every move. Still even while I dance around the fire of truth, I still couldn't tell you what the truth is. Is life meant to be a series of well-intended events or is it a course to be charted and planned. For me, each time I sit in front of the keyboard, I couldn't tell you how the story's going to end. I usually start with one thought or line and work from there. Some kind of planning don't you think? While I have nothing against plans, I simply feel confined by them. I worry that while I pursue some plan, something else more interesting will pass me by

Right now I'm finishing up a course in Human Resources in my grad program. To be honest, I never gave a lot of thought to HR other than being some really cranky people who hired you, throwed a benefit pamphlet at you, and called security to escort out when you're fired. Sorry HR. What I've been learning are some really complicated rules about employment rights, dealing with harassment issues, assembling benefits packages, and creating a diversified workforce. I guess my point is, there can be a lot more to any position or issue than meets the eye.  So far in my experience in management I have been limited to simply managing myself or a small group of people. I'm learning that department managers do have more to do then just walk around and watch people and make decisions that usually didn't work. I'm discovering that managers have a multitude of directions to follow and a lot of people to answer too.  So for me question is, Am I ready or Am I able to