I’ve lived in the Midwest for the vast majority of my life. I enjoy the four seasons. They’re never as equally balanced as one would hope but that’s okay. We’ve had one of the more robust winters this year that I can recall. We’ve had more snow, more arctic blasts, more ice, and more gray than normal. It’s funny to me that if we have a year where we don’t get much snow we wish we had more. Now that we’ve had a significant and lengthy winter we complain that it’s too much.
One of the side effects of a full winter is salted roads. The wonderful road crews do all they can to keep roadways clear. This is often daunting because the weather rarely cooperates in the manner it is predicted to. They lay down tons and tons of road salt to assist in melting the snow, ice, and slush. This mixture rarely stays on the roadway due to the volume of never-ending traffic. Vehicle after vehicle speed through the concoction which inevitably ends up encasing your car in a thick layer of white, brown, and mucky corrosive material. It’s as if your car is a blank canvas waiting to be plastered with the evidence of winter.
I have a long commute to work from my home. It takes anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour plus depending on the volume of people joining me on the road. If you have construction or an accident along the way, the time only increases. Throw on top of this the various winter precipitation of snow, freezing rain, or sleet, there’s no telling how much time you’ll be behind the wheel. With my extensive commute, you can imagine how my car’s exterior starts to appear throughout the winter.
The below-freezing temperatures that held us in an endless grip for weeks on end only meant you couldn’t get your car washed. The dirt, grime, and sludge just grew in depth while creating an abstract painting that became a hardened shell. It becomes a nuisance because, even though I’m fortunate to have a garage at home, each time I try to walk around the car my coat and clothing get salt transfer. It only seems to stain or smear when you try to wipe it off. It never gets completely removed.
This weekend, the temperature sneaked just above the freezing point. I decided to chance it and get my car and my wife’s car washed. We have a local business just around the corner from where we live that does a great job. It’s an automatic, ever-moving chain that pulls your car through the various brushes and blasts of water and soap. When I pulled up, I saw that I was one of many who were trying to take advantage of their services as well. The trip through the car wash took less than two minutes. When I exited the building, I could swear I heard our cars sigh with relief. They were clean once again !!
A car that keeps moving through the mix of winter precipitation and road gunk is a lot like working in HR. One of the challenges of being in this field is that we get to experience and hear the dark side of work. This may include the various “life” situations people are facing or the general negative conversations that abound throughout the workplace. It can be, and is, draining. You hope for uplifting and encouraging conversations to be the norm, but they are unfortunately the exception.
I’m not trying to be a downer, and you need to understand that I am generally an overly positive person most of the time. However, even I get caked with layer after layer of road salt at work. It comes with the job and is as inevitable as taking a winter commute to and from work. If we’re not cognizant of our exteriors being constantly covered in road spray, then we too become encased in a hardened shell . . . and heart.
We need a car wash. We need to make sure to take a few minutes on a regular basis to wipe out the darkness that tries to envelop us. Too many others around us don’t see that they too are covered in their own blanket of dirt. When the majority of people start their days worrying about what is sure to go wrong, then you’re already facing an uphill battle. Lay on top of this a poor conversation in the hall, the emotions tied to senseless media and social media opinions with the pressures of performing, and you get folks who are buried.
It’s imperative that we’re more aware of the environment we’re in. We need to wash off whatever tries to hold us captive so that we can be at least one bright spot in the days of others. I’m not asking you to ignore the challenges and divisiveness swirling around us. I’m just encouraging you not to let it encompass or define you. It shouldn’t. Remember, a quick trip can wash away months and months of crud (that’s an official HR term by the way).
This next week, make time to get a rinse. You’ll breathe that sigh of relief as well, and it will allow you to move forward with confidence once again.
