Value Added

In the center of a world that measures success by the bottom line, assesses value on a matrix, and calls integrity anything it takes to make the numbers look good for the masses, I stand outside the gate of Annie's Cottage and I ask myself, "could I ever measure up to the standards of an industry whose bottom line ends in a dollar sign?"

I would love to build a whole bunch of little Cottage's like this one. I would love each one of them, care for each of their guests and my only measure of success would be found in two places. When I stand outside the gate and look in...when I first walk in the door...I'd ask myself every time..."is this a place I would want to stay?" If the answer is a resounding "Ahhhhhhhhhhh, yes"
then I would comfortably say, 'goal half met'.

Then I would go to my guest book and my e-mails and I would read the comments and read between the lines. Are they entering an obligatory, "nice place ya got here" comment, or are they sharing their experience with me because they had such a good time and they feel so comfortable with their Innkeepers that they just have to share as if we were sitting across the table from each other having a cup of coffee. This is where I look for value added. If it had to be in a matrix, the little squares would be words, not numbers. They would be words like...

RELAXED WONDERFUL SOAKED (in the jacuzzi tub) FAMILY FRIENDS PEACEFUL EXACTLY EVERYTHING (we needed) SUNSET BEAUTIFUL EXCITED PERFECT THANK YOU

The value added would be that a few more humans in the world have experienced excellence of heart and rejuvenation and they have breathed in fresh air and remembered what it felt like to have someone really care about how your day is going and that you have everything you need to truly be on a vacation with as little hassle as possible.

I would never look at the numbers while I was doing business, but at the end of the year, I wouldn't be surprised when they were good.

In the 'work-a-day' world that is my other occupation, we talk a lot about integrity and value added. My very first thought is, 'are the people I work with feeling more at peace and more capable of handling their circumstances today?' ' Have they gotten what they need to climb mountains and solve problems and feel safe and well tonight?' But that is difficult to measure on a matrix and it is difficult to calculate, yet the most critical part of 'Human' services. I wouldn't measure a successful trip to the doctor by the cheapest medicine. I would measure it by the sense of comfort and peace the patient has, because I would know that this alone will help them to avoid the toxic effects of fear and stress which will drive their medical costs up, up, up and inspire them to run frantically to every comfort food and vice they have.

Society has forgotten so much about how to be kind and how to care. If I never do anything more than to provide one little environment where people can put their feet up and truly go, 'ahhhhhhhhhh' for a good long rest, then I have done enough. If I never do more than to push away the things that keep us from re-evaluating our lives and seeking peace, long enough for one human at a time to get a fresh start at making a difference in the world, then I have done enough.

I'm not sure how we're going to measure that, but my heart knows there has been value added and, for me, that's enough.

Last year's entry is the perfect companion to this...I just realized. Truly a golden day it was!