Stratagem Weekly
Thanks for the little things, too often overlooked
Kurt Vonnegut famously noted that the small things in life are actually the really big things. Hereโs a shout-out to five that deserve recognition:
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐: The paperclips and staplers of our lives, these are the people who hold things together; the rubber bands whose firm yet flexible force provide much-needed resolution in certain situations. Special acknowledgement is due to the duct-tapers, who always have our back.
๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐: These energizers enable us to get more done. We suffer withdrawal when theyโre not in the room, not at the table, not in our lives.
๐ญ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Ask any teacher, boss, elected official, board chair or coach: Meshing and aligning people so they function reliably is among the hardest things to accomplish.
๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: These people bring focus and perspective to all thatโs happening around us. Among the most valuable are the bifocal-ers, those who help us see whatโs right before our eyes yet in the context of what lies ahead.
๐ญ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: These people add spice, surprise, amusement; a beautiful or entertaining twist to the ordinary.
While these five functions may seem small or mundane, they are the big things in each of our lives. The people that do them make a family a family, a business a place people want to work. They make a community a community, a state or nation functional, and the human race, more humane.
Itโs important to identify and acknowledge the people who play these roles in our lives. Thank them; celebrate them! And if ever there was a time to emulate them, itโs now.
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