Safety Tidbits: 5-13-13

The Missing Watch

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.”

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

Author Unknown

It seems like the world we live in has forgotten about the power of Silence.  When was the last time you had some quiet time – just you alone – no TV, radio, iPod, CD, internet, etc.  It is not easy to do with all the noise going on around us.  But try to give your mind a break, every once in a while – take time to sit and think in silence. It is good for the soul.  Safety Wayne

A few tips… (these are mainly for me – but may benefit you as well)

-Make silence a priority – block out time to sit in silence, for a few minutes each day, and process what’s going on in your world!

-Start your mornings in silence – leave the TV off – the news is usually a downer, leave the computer or blackberry alone – it’ll wait. Just sit and think about life, family and the day ahead.  If you can’t think of anything else, think about how blessed you are and be grateful for all you have!

-Drive to work in silence – no sports or talk radio, no music. (Most of us have trouble handling the silence. If you have tough decisions to make, think about them on the drive.  Look around you – the world is a beautiful place, especially in Spring!

-Take a short walk at lunch – get away from the office – take 10-15 minutes to clear your head and enjoy the fresh air! If you can’t handle the quiet every day, call a family member or friend to see how they are doing.  You will miss the quiet, but it will take your mind off work for a while. You’ll find by taking a noon break you will have a more productive afternoon!

Remember: Life is what you make it! Have a great week, I know I will!

And a bonus quote from Thomas J. Watson:

“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of ‘crackpot’ than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.”

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Thanks for the share, WK!