In my backyard office it’s easy to think only about me.
- My commute is steps, not minutes.
- When I want a snack the kitchen is 50 feet away.
- Want to talk to Kristen? She works 50 feet away, too.
- It’s as quiet as I want it to be. Want to listen to music from the 90s? No problemo.
- Want interaction with others? Do it.
- Don’t want interactions with others? Just turn it off.
For better or worse it’s a me-centric way to work. And it has advantages. I don’t sit through pointless meetings and there are no office politics. A little too warm for my liking? Turn on the AC. Too cool? Turn on the heat. I’ve got no co-workers to negotiate that with. No one knows and frankly no one cares.
When you work alone, in your backyard, it’s easy to think only about yourself. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
We is Better than Me
In the daytime quiet of my backyard, plugging away on an endless… seemingly self-feeding todo list… I have a rational choice to make.
Is this about me or not?
I have a little mantra that I repeat to myself all the time: We is better than me.
“It is not good that the man should be alone”
From the earliest moments, from Creation, God recognized this value… We is better than me. When I’m alone, when I’m about myself, it’s not good. (Being about me and having alone time are different)
This mantra, We is Better than Me, expresses itself when I’m frustrated in a we setting. I’ve got this in-born desire for things to be about me all the time, to be awesome, to be for me– to want things my way in my time. And when that doesn’t happen? I’ve got this tiny bit of righteous indignation that feels like I need to not just be frustrated that something isn’t working for me but also the deep-seeded need to tell people, to get people on my side, to declare… “This isn’t working for me and you should do something about it because it’s not working for this person either.”
The mantra is especially helpful in these moments. When I’m feeling my most about me, when I’m wanting to grab the pitch forks and let everyone else know that my needs aren’t feeling met… that’s when I repeat the mantra: We is better than me.
Just because it’s not about me doesn’t mean it’s not good for we. Just because I think I know a better way doesn’t mean my way is better. Usually, it just means I need to learn something new– I need to shut up.
And in a world where everyone can say whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want: Shutting up might just be the most powerful thing you can do.
We is better than me.
We don’t just taste communion. We live it.
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