At Your Service by Maggie Inge

This weekend, under a perfect summer sun in a glorious garden, I stood among those gathered as a young couple renewed their wedding vows. The first time they said these vows, began the years of marriage they have enjoyed for more years than either of them had then been alive.

Summer is the time when between work and play we squeeze in the time to tackle chores around the house. Even those who are skilled with hammers and saws come to the point where it becomes apparent that we need a professional to do certain jobs. Which jobs to turn over to others is determined by our skill set and the time we are willing to devote to the task. We can make finding the right person for the job easier if we first set the scope of what we need someone to do for us.

A recent turn in my mother’s health put me on the road and gave me a chance to see some interesting approaches to service quality. On the first leg of my trip, I stopped at a roadside diner to grab a quick bite. The hostess greeted me with a smile and, pointing toward a nearby table, asked if it would be OK. She did not move until I said yes, and then pulled out the chair for me to sit down. The service was otherwise like any other diner, but the welcome secured a hefty tip.

The Internet is a terrific resource when you want information. Search engines, like Google, afford the opportunity to find the answer to almost any question. Type in a few words and you can learn more than you ever wanted to know about almost anything. When a computer is not handy, we are more likely to fall back on the old standby, making assumptions; otherwise known as making a wild guess.

Sometimes life sucks. When we need a vacuum cleaner, it’s a good thing. When we are having a run of bad luck, it is best to leave it alone lest it become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Focusing on what is not working creates a situation that is bound to continue.