AM Chippy

Opinion:  Applies to a conclusion or judgment which, while it remains open to dispute, seems true or probable to one's own mind.


I was at a meeting this morning that I thought got a little chippy.  This is as it should be from time to time.  We're difficult people, passionate and opinionated, and we're working a Program that is very suggestive in nature.  We're not using a prepared script led by seasoned professionals who have undergone years of education and training.  So sometimes when someone says: "I do it like this," what we hear is: "You should do it like this."  We let it get under our skin, especially if we've tried what is being suggested and found it lacking.  We think it's wrong and we can't suppress the urge to say so.


A little chaos first thing in the AM is to be expected.  The way I look at it is that I need all of you.  Each and every one.  I need to hear from people who make me swoon with admiration and with whom I closely identify.  That sense of belonging helped me feel like I was in the right place, after a lifetime of feeling that I didn't fit in anywhere.  It helped me stick.  But I also need the people who make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  If I'd rather hear fingernails being slowly dragged the length of a chalkboard than hear an individual share their experience, strength, and hope, then I need to pay close attention to what that person has to say.  This is often where I REALLY learn some good lessons.