1:33 p.m. - 2003-12-12
The keytone cops. A Funeral.
You would have thought that one of the keystone cops got buried yesterday. The kids I was so worried about were running around the funeral home and daring eachother to go up and poke "the body". One of them would get up close, sneak a peek, almost touch him, then run giggling.
It did my heart good, because I really didn't like the guy anyway. It was kinda funny to watch him being made fun of, the way he would done to someone else while he was alive. The jokester.
Two of his children were competing to be the most torn up. Alternating turns at the casket, bending over the body, sobbing, kissing him. One of the sons wouldn't leave the chapel at the end and had to be dragged out.
Funny how death makes people so much more loved. Nobody gave a shit about him before. He was an annoying little shit. He abused his eldest son when he was young, and his eldest son made the biggest show of his death. Death makes you a hero, an angel among a population of ignorant folk. No matter who you were, or what you did, upon your death you are perfection itself, loved by everyone, wouldn't hurt a fly, generous and loving of life.
Huh? Are we talking about the same person?
He was most undeserving of the eulogy written by his daughter-in-law. It was brilliantly written. Funny, charming, a piece of art. I asked her is she knew she was a writer, and she shook her head and said, no, "my brothers are in advertising, but me? No." Another writer lost to poor self-esteem.
I have a mentee at work. Someone I trained eight years ago. She was in an abusing marriage, living in the projects, and struggling to earn enough money to be free.
This woman was passed from trainer to trainer. They got mad at her because it took her a bit longer to catch on than others. But I could see that she was learning. She just didn't express it well. So I took her under my wing, gave her my patience, and understanding. And she blossomed into a pro. She didn't know how smart she was. Her self-confidence soared.
She asked me to mentor her this year. She had a lot of decisions to make this year. Promotions at her fingertips, a comfortable position with a wonderful boss. She had to decide whether it was worth the money to get a new boss whom she didn't respect as much, and more responsibility, or stay where she was and be happy.
What presence of mind. Most people I know would take the position, the money and deal with hardship. This woman, knowing she had repairs to make to the house and lived like a church mouse told both bosses that she wanted time to weigh her options and make the best decision for her and her son. And she asked me to be part of that decision.
She did eventually decide to stay where she was and not be greedy for the money. And she was rewarded with a pay increase within her current department. I hope she knows that I look up to her. I've told her often enough. And this is the woman who was going to be let go because nobofy could teach her. Managers vying for her skills. I'm so damn proud.
By the way, I made a huge mistake. I thought we had a covered dish today, but its really Tuesday. So my department got treated to my magic spinich dip. Oops! At least they liked it.
