Everyone's "On" if you're the Big Man

So, with my humble GTD "apprentice" status (yes, still partially implemented--what can I say?: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GTD), Merlin Mann's 43 folders is a regular stop of mine. Earlier this week he discusses a USA Today article on attitudes toward the wait staff. I heartily concur with his conclusion: that everyone should spend some time on the frontlines of the restaurant biz in one's youth. In fact, I use this as a barometer as I'm getting to know people: have you ever waited tables? If they have, or if they have a similar experience in serving the public, they seem to display a certain sensibility that better tolerates the foibles in others. My restaurant experience makes me more patient with restaurant waitstaff (especially if they're slammed or short-staffed), retail checkers, and maybe even my son.

This clarifies the notion of when one is "on"--all the time! Rather than inducing some kind of panoptical paranoia, this should compel us to be more mindful, especially in those little moments of vulnerability: when we are tired, when our bodies hurt, when we are embroiled in some requirement of the ego to such an extent that we forget about how we touch others' energies. Last night I observed this in action: my back was hurting from a muscle pull and I found myself a little short with my spouse. I was not really angry yet my tone of voice changed and expressed anger. Had to do some quick work to realign the energy and reroute to peace.