I love Colquitt, but
By Andrea Andrews, M.D.

When I went to Cape Cod for the summer to work, I was treated graciously, but I knew I was an outsider. An outsider on Cape Cod is called "a wash ashore." Well, I have washed ashore the enchanted city of Colquitt. Here, I am asked, "How do you like Colquitt?" Previously, I stated, "I love Colquitt." Well, guess what? "I still love Colquitt, but….."

"I still love Colquitt, but why is it the people with the best work ethic are almost over 65 years of age?"

I see the small business owners working hard along with the chamber of commerce, but elsewhere I have some observations, personal and also the ones passed on to me by my patients.

Punctuality

I am concerned when people are not at work 15 minutes ahead of time. That's when you show up, get your coffee, touch up your hair and makeup and then clock in on time, every time. In the old days (my college days), I was at work 30 minutes ahead of time most days and 15 minutes ahead of time the other 20% of the time. I have mellowed with age, but at least I still feel bad when I don't get to work on time. Future graduates of high school, please be the first one to work and one of the last to leave!

(I feel really bad when I don't show up to Sunday school on time, which happens much too often now that I have mellowed.)

Job description

This is for the upcoming graduates. Whatever your job is, write down a job description. At the bottom of the list, the last item should be whatever makes the job get done the best. That way, you won't go through life with expressions like

"That's not in my job description," or "They don't pay me ENOUGH to do that!"

If you wonder if you are getting paid what you're worth, I can solve your problem!

You are not getting paid what you're worth because you are a child of God. You are priceless. You're job is hopefully helping you pay your bills and putting food on your table, but your salary is not a measure of your value. Does the Bible say that the one with the highest salary gets to Heaven? I don't think so.

As a college student, I shelved books at the Oakland Public Library. A lot of homeless people would stay in the library all day to keep warm. The books would come back sticky (sometimes from children's candy), smelly and occasionally torn. I would wipe the books down or leave them open to air out. Sometimes an entire row of books would be incorrectly ordered. I would take all the books off the shelf and start over. No one told me to do that. I just liked books, and wanted the next patron to be able to find his/her book in its proper place. When I graduated from U.C. Berkeley, the head librarian asked me if I wanted a librarian assistant job. She was hand selecting a few staff and stated she had watched my work. I didn't know I was being watched; I just liked books. It was nice to triple my salary also!

"I still love Colquitt, but…why do people respond with 'I don't know' when it's their job to know?"

For example, let's just make up a case that is just too obvious. Let's say I call the emergency room on a Saturday morning and ask the staff in the emergency room which doctor is on call on the weekend. What if the staff say, "I DON'T KNOW"… Wouldn't that be frightening? Wouldn't you wonder why they were drawing a paycheck?

"Neither a borrower nor lender be."

Unless you have started a bank, don't loan money to friends and family. If you have it to give, then give it and let it go. If you loan out money, you will think about when you'll get it back; you will wonder why they can go on a cruise or vacation but can't pay you back the $50 you gave them last month, and you

enjoyment when they come back and tell you what a fantastic vacation they had.

From Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1603:

LORD POLONIUS:

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be;

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,

And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. "

Let's say you really need to borrow your neighbor's car or your mother's car. If you returned it clean with a full tank of gas without them asking you to do it, what are the chances you are going to be able to do that again? Try not to do it again, but return things in the same or better condition than how you borrowed them. You let a person know you really appreciated the loan of their materials.

Reference:

Walden and "On The Duty of Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau

"It is difficult to begin without borrowing, but perhaps it is the most generous course thus to permit your fellow-men to have an interest in your enterprise. The owner of the axe, as he released his hold on it, said that it was the apple of his eye; but I returned it sharper than I

received it."

That's all for now. a dash