Maggie's Farm

Last week I spent some time working as a volunteer at the local Food Bank.  I figure I'll put my time to good use and help others, and so I've been signing up to volunteer there.  I was amazed at what I did, and how it was set up.
There were 6 of us volunteers, not a huge group (considering they had openings for 30), but as our leader said "I know we can do great things despite being small in number."  

What struck me are how priniciples of good business and manufacture can be utilized for more than just businesses and provide great value.  The gains and innovations that come from free enterprise are useful and widespread - and it's not just about making a profit, it's about being efficient.  Efficiency - that's where the value is.  Adam Smith noted this in his writings over 250 years ago, as he talked about the division of labor and how valuable it was (his pin factory description comes to mind). 

When modern Wokesters discuss the gains of our economy they diminish and degrade all aspects of capitalism, right down to free enterprise and division of labor.  The division of labor is at times described as 'mind-numbing' and 'unfulfilling'.  They love to talk about the 'dignity of labor', and yes working is dignified.  But from their perspective the 'dignity' is in doing ALL the tasks required to reach an end result.  Yet here I was at the Food Bank utilizing this division to help people in a big way, and feeling very fulfilled in doing my small, 'mind-numbing' role.

We have boxes of food stacked behind an assembly line - cans of tuna, boxes of mac and cheese mix, cans of fruit, pancake mix, etc.  As our team arrived, we positioned ourselves between the boxes and the assembly line.  First person in line took an empty box, put some food items in, passed it on to the next person who put in one or two items, all the way to the end where the last person put in a flyer with information on SNAP, taped it shut, and stacked it on a pallet that was then lifted and loaded to a truck when it was filled.  I personally handled putting 3 items into each box, and noticed that others struggled to open the food boxes.

I saw some box cutters nearby, grabbed them and during down moments ran from stack to stack ripping them open so the process wouldn't slow too much.  After 3 hours our team of 6 had assembled almost 700 boxes of food - a week's worth of food for 700 families. 

3 hours of work doing, basically, one thing - loading 3 cans/boxes of food out of one box into another box.  If I had to do this on my own, I calculated that maybe it would have produced about 20 boxes an hour or 60 total per person.  We'd have had to open all the boxes ourselves, shift the food, make sure the right quantities of each were added, put in a flyer and then tape it shut.  Maybe 30 per hour or 90 boxes over 3 hours.  At what may have been our extreme best efforts alone, we'd have completed 540 boxes.  As a team, as an assembly line doing 'mind-numbing' and 'unfulfilling' work, we may have fed almost 160 more families. 

Leftists would claim their worldview applied 'properly' would eliminate the need for Food Banks.  Of course, history has proved them wrong many times and they are simply ignorant of this fact.  My experience says that the surpluses of capitalism and free enterprise - donated to the Food Bank, which we were repacking (some of it was name brand foods!) - more than supplements the presumed shortcomings of the free enterprise system.  Could we do more?  Certainly we always can do more. 

But for me it was a lesson in good business practice and economics, and one I truly enjoyed.

As a side note, the woman working next to me was a younger Hispanic woman who was very chatty.  She obviously volunteered often, as she knew many of the full time workers on the forklifts.  She told them she'd lost 150 pounds.  I looked at her with surprise.  She replied "I'm 5'4" and have 3 kids and I'm a single mother.  The weight was killing me, so I chose to lose it.   And I did."  I congratulated her and asked what she did for a living.  She replied "I run my own trucking company out of my house, I have 5 trucks and if I need to drive I will, but I've got full time workers now.  I also help others in my neighborhood sell their crafts online."  I was surprised and said "You still have time to volunteer here?"  She said "I'm a workaholic, what can I say?  I have to keep moving." 

I was very impressed with her motivation and generosity.  People like her make our nation great.  They are the best of us. I don't see anyone in Washington who could match her in terms of tenacity, willpower, desire and a generally good nature.  An inspiring story as I prepare for the new year.

One of the weird things about a layoff is extraction.  I have a long runway before I'm actually no longer with the company.  I'm still working, mainly with the people who I have to complete projects with or transition those projects to.  I'm never a fan of companies that show people the door the minute they are let go, unless it is for cause or if that person works in a particularly sensitive area.  Giving people time allows them to prepare, and help the people they are leaving prepare.  It's easy to be bitter and say "I'm giving them nothing" but that's counterproductive.  Best to leave on a high note and focus on the future.  

In the meantime, I'm not really working as much as I had been.  I was literally told I can do whatever I want and handle it all as I see fit.  So I'm doing what's right for myself while doing what's right for the people I worked with and respect. 

Over the last few months, I've been posting less than I have in the past.  There have been a variety of reasons for this, but the primary one is the work-from-home environment is a difficult one for what I do.  I could delve into the details of the last 9 months, but it's not worthwhile.  Let it suffice to say it's been a slog, and getting covid in April didn't help. 

My job simply became exponentially more difficult.  One would think work-from-home would improve things.  I thought it may, and in some ways it did.  But mostly it made my job more of a job.  Much of what I do requires interacting with people, getting responses, creating policy and making sure that information is shared properly.  Zoom, Slack, texts, - these tools don't make up for walking into an office and having a conversation.  Not to mention, the primary thing work-from-home has done is to increase the number of meetings everyone has, so free time to chat is rare.  I found myself working earlier in the morning and later in the evening.  My 24/7 job became 24/7.

Despite this, I felt good.  Early complications eventually led to a point where things were starting to make sense again, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  All that ended last week when I became part of a company-wide layoff due to covid.  I know this is a happy holidays wish.  Bear with me.  I'll get to that

I'm just one of millions without a job.  But there are so many others without so much more.  I'm just a statistic.

A good friend of mine died of pancreatic cancer 2 months ago.  His family is working, they were prepared and well-enough off, but they will be spending their first Christmas without their father/husband/brother/son.  He was the most optimistic person I knew, even as the end approached, he had a smile and kind word for everyone.  I'm sure he was scared, but he did not show that side to anyone.  I choose to honor his legacy by being more like him in that regard.  I have worked hard to keep the smile on and be positive.  The stories of his final days were so uplifting, but so in character for him.  While the sense of loss is great, in some ways that may have prepared me for what was to come.  In a good way.

Another close friend lost his son.  He died recently due to a drug overdose.  The story, as in other cases like this, is long, complex and fraught with ups and downs.  Mrs. Bulldog lost her brother 22 years ago before the holidays and while it's never easy to lose someone close, the holidays amplify the sense of loss.  I have spoken with my friend and was pleased to hear how well he was doing.  He is working.  He is positive about his and his family's future.  While the loss is still unreal to him, he remains committed to creating something positive.  My friends and I are also doing some other things so we can leave a legacy of hope and solace in his son's name.

Long before I lost my job I'd say to anyone I spoke with that I have a feeling something really good is going to happen.  The loss of the job isn't it, though one could probably make a case for it being a happy situation.  I know something better is right around the corner.  I have prospects, I have resources.  So my loss, unlike millions of others through this covid disaster, is not completely unfortunate. There are so many others worse off.  Mine are first world problems.  I'll constantly remind myself of this, and keep looking out for others, and helping where I can.  We all need a little bit of George Bailey in us.

Giving to the food bank, a kind word, a helping hand, whatever is needed.  We tend to do these during the holiday season.  That's not the only time we should.  I told my friend that after his son's death I called my boys to tell them I loved them.  Like holiday giving, these are not one-time things.  These are things we need to do more often.  But reminders are useful and provide kickstarts when we forget, fall behind, or get distracted.

In spite of my 'bad' news, I'm keeping things in perspective and realizing I have it pretty good.  It's been a rough year, a strange year, but I'm convinced better times are ahead.  Optimism is a force multiplier.  Look out for those who need assistance, and do what we can for them.  I hope all of you are doing well and have a great holiday and that 2021 is a prosperous one for all of you and your families.

2021 can, and will, be a year of peace and renewed prosperity if we choose it to be so.

If you'd like some good investigative work on Covid, these are easy to read and understand posts from a Swedish physician.