Day #14 - The Dirt Digger

There has to be someone that digs the dirt. Today I mean this literally, but it can also be figurative.

I have a hole in my yard that is 6 feet deep and about 3 - 4 feet wide. When I knew where they would dig the hole I did not know how they would get the proper machinery to the spot. It is steep with the only access being a set of stairs by the side of the house. Well, turns out they dug the hole the old fashioned way...shovels, picks, arms and backs.

Now that the hole is dug, the clog must come out. Good news is - the pipe doesn't look broken. There really was a clog in there. Bad news is, the clog is all roots. They pulled out something that looks like sod...tightly packed like grass and 5 hours into it (digging and all), they are still working with the root system.

The Dirt Digger...I asked one of the men if this is what they do every day. He told me that is his job. He digs. He digs for water lines, sewer lines, stop and wastes, sprinkler lines, etc. It made me think of all the dirt out there. For all the dirt, someone has to move it, clean it, stack it, spread it...Dirt has to be dealt with.

Even my job has dirt work that has to get done. Most of the time that task falls to me, but this one time stands out as a life learning experience that I will never allow myself to forget. I work for an account where management views issues as "guilty until proven innocent" even when all the facts are not in. To make the story short, our corporate client received a call from someone in another state accusing our agent of selling their property undervalue.

This blew up on the account manager that worked with me and handled the deal (assigned the agent, managed the transaction, presented offers etc.). This was very difficult on this particular employee who had done all that she knew to do in order to get the best price for the corporation. There were 30 offers received on this property (this was obviously when the market was booming) and the highest price and best terms had been accepted. The problem was, the Buyer of the property put it back on the market immediately after closing at 3 times the price they purchased it for. The property was only listed and had not sold at a higher value, but the damage was done with one phone call.

After weeks of providing information and evidence to the corporate client concerning the market, property values in the area, ethics concerning the handling of the transaction, etc. our boss called all 4 of us currently working on the account into her office. We sat around her conference table to discuss this issue. She had purchased a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store and sat at the table cutting the stems and placing the flowers one by one into a vase of water as she spoke. I remember thinking later how symbolic this was.

As she cut and arranged the flowers she said something to this effect, "You all work very hard and you do an excellent job. This situation could not have been avoided with the processes currently in place. From now on, I don't want you to think about this file. This file is mine now. I will take this problem and I will deal with it. There is no longer any reason that you cannot move forward and continue doing the excellent job you are all capable of doing."

I have shared this story before, so if you have heard it, sorry, but it holds meaning for me and reminds me of the Savior and a "real life" application of the Atonement. I immediately felt such relief for my co-worker and for myself to know this issue was no longer my problem and it was in the most capable hands. The figurative dirt was shifted, the rocks removed and the ground contained flowers with only the weeding left to maintain.

Through review of this transaction we also created better more thorough processes that we still employ today. I have learned that most problems present opportunities for improvement and discovery if approached with an open mind.

So, for the literal and the figurative dirt diggers...

I Am Grateful,
HB

P.S. I just took a shower...oh, sweet, sweet soap and water.