As a boy, my mother routinely reminded us to wipe our feet when we dashed into the house at full speed. She rarely even looked up as we came in. She just knew that brother and I would have dirty shoes.Mom had good reason for concern. The empty lots and open fields were our playgrounds. And on the way home from our ventures, we walked through every mud puddle.
As an adult, I still clean my shoes before entering my home after a long day at school or work. I don't need my mother to remind me anymore—I get it because I pay for the carpet.
Recently, I've been thinking about the symbolism of removing the dirt from the world before entering my home. For years, I collected bad attitudes and negativity from the work world and brought them home to my young family. They never knew what my mood was going to be.
Silently, hesitantly, they would size me up.
"What kind of day did he have? Can I tell him my problems? Can I share some good news? Will he snap at me for no reason?”
They never knew if I had "wiped my feet" at the door. The darkness of reports, deadlines, and negative personal interactions often clouded my disposition. Job uncertainty, increased expectations, and an emphasis on efficiency over humanity only made my attitude darker.
By the time I got home, this "five o'clock shadow'" darkened my face and my soul. Whether the stubble was a scratchy beard or a scratchy heart, it rubbed my family wrong.
Sure, they wanted me to bring home a paycheck and the security that comes with it. They liked a roof over their heads and food on the table. They enjoyed the middle class comforts of life. But ultimately, they wanted me to bring home joy.
And your family wants the same.
Some job pressures are easy to leave. Just punch the clock and go home. But other work situations can cloud our hearts with the failures and struggles and conflicts. Even when we're off duty, we sometimes carry all that junk with us. Workplace stress is real, but we can't let it steal our joy, determine our moods, or hurt our families.
Leave the dirt of work behind.
(Thanks to Philip Faustin for original inspiration)
1 comments so far - add yours here:
Wow, I'm really glad you left the link over at HCB--I hope people click over to read this. What a practical way to remind us to leave those things behind.
I picked up a similar idea somewhere--that changing out of work clothes to "play" clothes upon arriving home can be a way to shed the work day and its stresses and take on something physical to remind us to relax with our families.
I like your idea better, because it happens outside, before we even walk in the door with a shadow on our faces.
Post a Comment