Pick Yourself Off The Mat

One of the various tasks I do on a daily basis in my new role with the Knights of Columbus is work the phones. There are about 900 member Knights whom I’ve been ask to serve and the first step of the service process is to contact them all, individually, at least once a year.

This annual contact is intended to check-in on the member, offer them the chance to hear an update on the broader status of the Knights of Columbus individually and discuss with them more about some of the services they are eligible for as a member.

Overall, this is the hardest part for me. The majority of these calls go to voicemail or answering machines. Few go to other family members who take a message. The fewest, it seems, actually result in contact with a member. Of my calls over the last three weeks, almost all of them have been pleasant enough. Most folks appreciate the call, but decline the offer to visit them. Some wish to sit and talk. Some people, however, are simply jerks.

I could vent for sometime, but rather, it’d be better if I just picked myself off of the mat and turn the other cheek.