Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Questions

I don’t have all the answers 
because I don’t have all the questions. 
– Laura Day

Monday, 29 July 2013

Serious


Life isn't as serious 
as my mind makes it out to be. 
-Eckhart Tolle

Friday, 26 July 2013

Alive

When you arise in the morning 
think of what a privilege it is 
to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love. 
– Marcus Aurelius

Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Difficult

In this age, which believes 
that there is a short cut to everything, 
the greatest lesson to be learned 
is that the most difficult way is, 
in the long run, the easiest.   
– Henry Miller

Monday, 22 July 2013

Nothing

To do nothing at all 
is the most difficult thing 
in the world, 
the most difficult 
and the most intellectual. 
– Oscar Wilde

Friday, 19 July 2013

July 19, 2013 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer  

   I recently read that up to 50% of an employee’s day is spent redoing tasks and projects.  Did you get that?  Up to 50% of the day is spent redoing what was already done.

   Now to clarify, that does not mean repeated, routine tasks.  For example, in the library we are always checking in returned items - routine. However, if we set them aside, and instead of putting them away, checked them all in again, that would be redoing.

   While it is not unusual for some new information to pop up, or for a situation to dramatically change, after a task or project has been started, it is quite rare.

   Typically, the reason for employees to have to redo completed work is generally because they were given inaccurate and/or incomplete information to start with.  Withholding vital information from employees doing specific tasks ranks right up near the top.  Another reason, is the person receiving the completed work totally changes their mind on a whim.  There are times employees will have to redo someone else’s work due to the reasons listed above, or because the employee purposely did the task incorrectly.  Occasionally equipment failure will require tasks or projects to be redone.

   As well, there are instances when employees are given a make-work project which then needs to be re-done to make more work for them.

   I don’t know about you, but I find that to be very wasteful behaviour.  Look how productive people could be if they were given what they needed from the beginning, and if their supervisors (or coworkers) didn’t pull juvenile power games.  It could even be possible to completely eliminate overtime, as well as half the work day!  How many people does it really take to do particular tasks if the tasks are done correctly the first time?

   This particular statistic was from the business world, however it probably applies to all areas of our lives - volunteer and personal.  If you think you don’t have time to do what needs done at work or home, look at how much time is being spent redoing tasks and make changes.

Beth
 
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n0Ck_wA12II8M1N63NTu0DBNPONTFXF9/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Solution

There is always an easy solution
 to every human problem – 
neat, plausible and wrong. 
– H.L. Mencken

Monday, 15 July 2013

Resist

When you resist, 
you lose control.   
– Brian Klemmer

Friday, 12 July 2013

Planning

I get up every morning
 determined to both change the world 
and have one hell of a good time.   
Sometimes this makes 
planning my day a little difficult.  
 – E.B. White

Wednesday, 10 July 2013

Alone

A lot of the best thinking happens 
when people are left alone 
with their thoughts. 
– Peter Spencer

Monday, 8 July 2013

Change

Most of the change that causes stress 
we end up forgetting in a short time…
our mind realizes the change 
is really not that important.   
Why can’t we figure this out 
when the change occurs? 
 - Joel Zeff

Friday, 5 July 2013

July 5, 2013 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer  

   Two young fish swim past an older fish.  As they pass the older fish, he says, "Morning, boys.  How's the water?"  The two young fish continue on for a while until one eventually asks the other, "What the heck is water?"  - David Foster Wallace

   The indigenous people of our province (many years before it even was a province) lived very close to the land.  Their entire existence was governed by the whims and foibles of nature. 

   They learned the way various weather patterns occurred and repeated themselves.  Thus they knew when to seek shelter, when to move to higher ground, and when it was safe to be out and travel.

   Unfortunately, in this day and age, too many of us are like the two young fish in the above quote.  We are completely, and constantly, surrounded by Mother Nature and yet, we’ve lost touch with her.

   I noticed this trend particularly in the past weeks as Calgary, and areas of southwestern Alberta, experienced the incredible flooding. 

   This is not the first time the rivers and creeks have flooded, nor is the first time that they have completely changed course, dramatically altering the landscape, due to flooding.  It has happened many times before, and it will happen many more times again.

   However, humans seem to think that they can stop Mother Nature, or prevent her from unleashing whatever she decides to send our way.

   How foolish of us. 

   Mother Nature will always win.  Rain will fall where it decides to fall, not where we think it should.  Racing water will not be stopped by banks, berms, roads, or buildings.  Mother Nature does not care where we build or develop, she is going to do what she does, regardless.

   The flooding of 2013 was not only devastating and very tragic for those directly impacted, as well for the many emergency personnel who have been assisting the province during this time.

   But even more devastating is that next time the destruction will be even worse if we continue to insist on having our own way and don’t start paying more attention to what Mother Nature is telling us.  
 
Beth
 
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19vTbQM8mS1iVg-eaJsRTCPXQdXamd_0f/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Ignoring

By ignoring information in your environment, 
you miss important clues 
that are the keys to solving problems. 
 In fact, the world is filled 
with endless two-inch-high messages,
 and it is up to each of us to discover them.  
 - Tina Seelig

Monday, 1 July 2013

Country

Burn down your cities and leave our farms, 
and your cities will spring up again 
as if by magic; 
but destroy our farms, 
and the grass will grow in the streets 
of every city in the country. 
– William Jennings Bryan 1896

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