I think I've got it!

It's been two and a half days and I finally remembered what my friend said on our walk the other day. We were talking about managing employees and how a supervisor often has to work hard to get the best work out of staff. A friend of hers in an identical director position has staff that walks all over her and she tolerates it. She hates it but she tolerates it.

Then my friend said, "You get what you put up with," which I thought was a terrific quote about a lot of things. It applies to management, parenting, services....even keeping pets.

She and I also talked about how much less crap we put up with than we did when we were younger. Women in their 20's can be too compliant or reticent and in their 30's they begin to learn that if they want change or want things to be different, they have to initiate it or demand it. By the time you get to be my age, there is very little s**t that will be put up with. The key is to figure out how to not tolerate it.

We were wondering what it would have been like if we had the courage of our 50's when we were in our 20's. I honestly can't figure out how that would have worked. I think it took some reticence to learn what works and what doesn't and also to allow me to grow. Sometimes you have to learn what you don't like to learn what you do like. Is that another quote?

Later that day I had a similar conversation with a co-worker. She's a few years younger than me but is on the same page crap-tolerance-wise. It somehow reaffirms it to hear it from other women in my age bracket which I guess harkens back to compliance and reticence doesn't it? I mean, if it makes it feel okay because other women feel the same way then I've got to wonder if I'm seeking affirmation.

Change of subject: Next week I get my carpet cleaned. I can't wait but hope we haven't waited too long to have a good outcome. It's looking really dingy and matted. We're also having the living room furniture cleaned (it's off-white chenille) so everything should be deliciously fresh. If I ever get out from under my extra bookwork, I hope to start Spring cleaning. I actually enjoy Spring cleaning and in a perfect world I would take a room at a time and spend a day washing walls, cleaning windows, and getting down to the cleanest surfaces on all objects within.

I'll bet you ten bucks the fawn pug pukes on the cleaned carpet within two weeks.