Finding balance in a busy world
The summer season brings many things, and at Duck River EMC it ushers in busy times. Our in-stallation of advanced meters across our system will begin. Our participation in the 41st Annual Super Pull of the South in Chapel Hill will take place. Planning for our annual meeting is in high gear. Searching for a way to feasibly provide broadband access to our members continues in earnest. Construction of a new substation in Franklin County is underway. The projects are large, the workload is heavy and the work days are long.
Yet, American author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau cautions us: “It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” As CEO of this cooperative, it is my job to remain focused on — and to keep our employees focused on — our cooperative’s mission and the strategies we must employ to achieve this mission. The way we spend our time each day must be laser-focused on priorities. Are the projects we are undertaking and the work it takes to complete these projects meaningful? Are these pursuits ensuring we provide reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost to our members while giving back in impactful ways to our local economies and communities?
I believe they are. Advanced meters will bring added benefits of improved reliability, better member service and operational efficiencies. Reaching out to our members and communities through the tractor pull and our yearly membership meeting ensures we are supporting our communities’ priorities and remaining available to our members. The start of our fiber build-out will be step one in ensuring our current and future communications needs are met as well as being a possible catalyst for bringing broadband access to the area. The new substation helps guarantee we are able to deliver on our promise of reliable electricity as our population continues to grow and thrive.
From a professional perspective, that is all well and good. Yet, the summer season reminds me to enjoy where I am in my personal life as well. For many, summer is a time for family vacations, a break from school and maybe a few outdoor adventures. Award-winning cartoonist Bill Watterson, through his comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes,” pokes fun at life’s conventions and helps us reflect on what’s important. “We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are,” remarks 6-year-old Calvin. “Days go by, and we hardly notice them. Life becomes a blur.” I guess that’s the bad news: time flies. But I’m the pilot here, and that is the good news. I can make time for the people that are most important to me, too.
So to Thoreau and to Calvin, too, thanks for the reminders. We have priorities in our professional lives, and we must balance those with the priorities in our personal lives. Have a blessed summer, everyone!
