Oy.  That is the only way I know how to start this one.  Just oy.  I’ve had so many ideas floating around in my head and no time to put them down.  I may just have to have a blogging bender to get it all out.  However, one thing that pertains to my school adventure is the beginnings of working in teams.  A topic that has caused many feelings of trepidation amongst the communication class.  Myself included.

This is an inter-generational class with the vast majority being under the age of 25 along with us “old dogs” learning the new tricks.  Never thought that phrase would come out of my mouth in reference to myself but there you have it.  I’ve had some university degree envy with only my lowly diploma to wave about but something has come up that I didn’t expect.  The value of life and work experience.  I knew it would count but I never realized how much.

The team I am on is a good one.  I think we are going to work very well together as long as I can remember to close my mouth and listen more.  This is one of the tenets of the team contract we are suggested to put together.  It is something that we all agree is very important.  While I’m in agreement whole heartedly, it’s remembering to put it in to practice that I will find challenging.  After being a leader for so many years, either in the workforce or as a volunteer, it is hard to put that down.  It is hard to remember that they don’t need me to lead all the time.

It is my hope that we can bridge any generation gap that I might not be perceiving or the one that I am.  I look at the young ladies sitting around the table and think back to where I was at that age.  At 24, I was in school full-time for Medical Office admin, planning a wedding, dealing with the Law Society, trying to settle up my dad’s estate, moving in with Michael and working part-time.  It was a tad busy.  I thought I was so knowledgable.  I thought I was on top of it all.  I was so deluded.  I could fit in a teacup what I thought I knew compared to what I know now about life.  If only being psychic came with the gift of foresight for personal development…

The skills I learned in college 15 years ago pale compared to what I have learned in the workforce, in my role as a parent of a special needs child, as a volunteer and just as a simple human being on the planet.  My forays in to introspective activities have done much to reveal how I view myself, the world and my role within the time I am here.  I am not maudlin about this but sincerely fascinated.  What can I do with this life of mine ?  How much can I cram in to the brain box that sits three feet above my butt ?  And how much of that will be useful ?

It seems that my penchant for reading about odd or obscure topics is actually coming in handy.  All those times I started a conversation with, “I was just reading about…” are actually becoming useful !  Thank God for that.  It is helping me to have a more well-rounded point of view and to be able to offer insight that others might not have thought of.  I don’t mean that in a pompous way at all but it is true.  Being part of a team also involves being able to actively contribute to not only the workload but the general conversation.  It’s hard to be productive when you don’t have an opinion about anything !  So far we are not running in to that at all.  Everyone on the team has something to offer which is great to hear.

The point of all this is that I am quite enjoying this new team experience.  The young ladies I am working with are well-educated, intelligent, funny and open to discussion.  They are taking the workload seriously but are also reminding me in their own way not to take it too seriously.  I like that.  It is necessary for my extreme Type A not to get “wrapped around the axle” as our instructor Andy is fond of saying in regards to grades and perfection.  I think that will ruin the college experience for me if I do that.  I need to do better than last time without going psychotic.  This team will be part of helping me do that.

It is my hope that we will all take away something positive from this experience.  That we will all be able to learn from one another and actively use the new skills we are learning.  While I might not understand the fascination of Jersey Shore or The Hills, I’m sure we’ll find things to talk about.  After all, sometimes it takes Different Strokes to understand The Facts of Life and it’s always important to remember that when the CHiPS are down , you need to take it One Day at a Time.  See ? I’m still hip.