Have you been in a restaurant or other place of personal service where the employee, server, desk clerk, etc. says something like, "Are WE having breakfast today?" Or, "Are WE having a good day?" Or, "Are WE going with one check or two?"
Of course, my devious, sometimes demented mind wants to respond (but I don't), "Well, I didn't know you would be eating with us today?" Or, "We're having a pretty good day, but I can't speak for you." Or, "Hmm, if you're open to splitting the check with us, let's go with that."
Now, I have great respect for any of you in the service business because I know it takes great skill, organization, clarity of mind and long hours on your feet to do what you do. And you likely deserve more than you make.
But, it does seem odd to use WE in the contexts I've mentioned and would be really strange in others. "So, are we all getting married today?" Or, "Are we all being remembered in today's funeral service?" "Are we ready for our open heart surgery?" There are more but I'd better stop there.
However, lest you think I'm suggesting that using WE is always negative, the word and more importantly the concept is extremely important to emotional health and well-being.
Living life, especially during its challenging times, is always better and the outcomes are greater when we have someone or a group of someones walking with us. In fact, the Bible taught on this long ago. Hebrews 10 talks about the importance of continuing to meet with each other for the sake of encouragement and other help.
It's having trusted people around you to encourage, model and remind you that you can make it, keep your promises and overcome. WE matters at that point. Are there guidelines for those people we choose to accompany us on our journey?
Yes. One, they must be safe. They have to guard what you tell them in confidence. Two, they mustn't have a personal agenda for getting closer to, feeling more important, avoiding their own issues or using you to get something that they've wanted and figure you'll help them out.
And they must have the same kinds of values you have about work, life, family, etc. Of course, they should be able to challenge you, but you don't want to be arguing over basic guidelines and values when that's not what you need from each other at all. WE matters.
They must be available, willing to talk and listen and aren't either a downer or pie-in-the-sky personality. They must be someone who may share ideas that could help you, but not a "you-need-to do-what-I do-or-did" person. WE matters.
Who might you be the WE person for today? Who could join your WE team?
So are WE in agreement on this?
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