My 200th Blog Post

This is my 200th blog post. Even though some older posts may be about past events, I like to look back and see what was done.

This blog has been a good outlet for me to share my thoughts, to vent about issues, to share events and to share poems. As I build my resume as a writer, I find that it is important to write often. I do not have a journalism education but I have a business degree with concentrations in marketing and finance. Fifteen years ago I would not have seen myself today writing a blog or publishing poems or writing for Brown Eyez Magazine, Dish Magazine, Core Magazine and Suite 101.

I am happy for this opportunity to share my thoughts as Words of Ribbon. I hope that readers have and will continue to enjoy what I write.

ribbon

Ideas for Relieving Boredom

People always get bored but there are ways to keep active and focused. Try new authors, hobbies, volunteering or join an club to stay occupied and happy.

Boredom can have negative effects because of the way it takes away positive energy. People get bored for more than one reason and it gets worse as they remain in that drudgery. Lack of television or a partner or children are not reasons to be bored. Negative effects of boredom include overeating and a potential for laziness. Instead, good alternatives to boredom engage experimentation into trying new things. Explore the world of literature, music, cooking, games and gardening. Other ways to relieve boredom include joining groups and spending time with family and friends.

Explore & Enjoy Music

There are many genres of music such as classical, pop, indie, reggae, hip hop, jazz, soca and others. It is good to explore the different types of music in the world to develop an appreciation for the different cultural influences. Conduct research on Google.com and MySpace.com on the different types of music and visit YouTube to view artists and music videos from all over the world. Be sure to take time and dance also because dancing is good exercise and can surely lift the spirit.

Research and Read New Authors

Reading is always a good pastime. Conduct a search on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other book sites for new authors, their work and customer reviews. Visit the local library and lend the titles, purchase from a thrift shop at reduced cost or enter into a book exchange to save money.

Find New Recipes for Fun

While boredom can lead to overeating, anyone who is bored can explore new and healthy recipes that can be prepared in small servings or shared with family and friends to avoid overeating. The internet provides a wealth of recipes for all types of cooking, baking and for a variety of foods.

Make Contact with Family and Friends

It is important to maintain contain with family and friends. Visit the family, especially the elders. If family members are far away, call and text or save money by chatting via an instant messaging program. Setting aside special time to visit or interact with family and close friends can ease boredom.

Play More Fun Games

There are many games to choose from to ease boredom. At home, there are crosswords, Sudoku, word search, puzzles, board games and card games. As a weekend outing, visit a bingo game or a darts or domino tournament and participate. For persons who prefer more active games or who prefer to view than participate, there are always local youth and adult games of soccer, basketball, softball and other sports.

Gardening Relieves Boredom

Gardening provides either actual food or beautiful ornamentals. Whatever the choice, gardening is a very healthy hobby that can be started on a small scale with a container garden. The National Gardening Bureau in an article, "[Why Garden: The National Garden Bureau's Top Ten] (http://ngb.org/gardening/todays/article.cfm?ID=55)" provides its top reasons for gardening which include exercising, safe and healthy food production, earning money and especially meeting emotional needs and gaining spiritual connections. Gardening is good hobby to reduce boredom by occupying spare time in a healthy way.

Volunteering

One way to reduce drudgery while giving back to the community is to volunteer with non-profit organizations such as a Humane Society or Animal Shelter, Red Cross or a community mentoring

program for youth or senior citizens. Volunteering is also a way to hone interpersonal and team-building skills by interacting with others.

Join a Group

Check the local media for the different groups in the community. Regular congregation with persons of like origin, goals and interests helps to keep balance because the common factors keep the activities interesting. In the British Virgin Islands, there are many church groups, a poetry group and other non-profit organizations. Such groups often perform community service and this makes joining more worthwhile.

The activities not only relieve monotony but offer a good way to help others. Boredom can be alleviated once there are other interests that can be developed into hobbies or positive activities. It is important to keep the mind and body stimulated to maintain health and a positive mindset. Using the internet wisely, engaging in new activities and volunteering are just some of the ways that everyday boredom can be alleviated.

The Man Who Wanted Development vs The Man Who Wanted Wealth

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived in a little house on a big hill. He had very few neighbors and very few luxuries of life. He had two heads of cattle, five goats, five sheep and ten rabbits. He also had a vegetable garden and many fruit trees. He always preferred to have access to food rather than a big house. He felt that if he wanted to attract a good woman, he would impress her with his bountiful garden rather than a big empty house.

This man had a neighbor on the opposite hill who built a large home because he wanted a woman who would be attracted to his wealth. He wanted her to be able to fill his house with friends and children. If he could fill his five acres with just the house alone he would because a woman could fill the estate with people who could admire his wealth.

The two men could find women that suit their wishes - good woman who wants to build a family based on principles or a woman who is attracted to wealth. We can look at these two men as examples of the way our leaders envision the future in our country. Do we want leaders who will only want to attract wealthy investors but who do not seek to build a nation with proper infrastructure, environmental preservation and food security? Or do we want leaders who will think about the future?

Do you think that if a flood occurs in the valley, the neighbor will be able to survive if he has no food planted? What will he do if his water sources run out? Will the people he wanted to attract with his wealth be there to help him rebuild? What will the man with his little house do? Do you think he will manage?

ribbon

Why Supervisors and Employees Disagree

There are times when the managers and the staff will disagree. Salary, promotion and micro-management are some of the causes of the disagreements.

Managers and supervisors need to have healthy working relationships and clear communication with the employees so that work flows and on-the-job conflicts can be solved in a timely manner. However, despite how supervisors and staff may try, there will be times when they disagree. These parties disagree because of promotional opportunities, a breakdown in communication, salary, micromanagement and inappropriate behavior.

Promotion

Employees look forward to working in an organization that has room for growth and promotion.

According to Gregorio Billikopf, author of Labor Management in Agriculture from the College of Natural Resources of the University of California, Berkeley, "organizational movements, such as promotions, transfers, job rotations, demotions, and layoffs may alter workers' security, satisfaction and productivity". When an employee sees that others are pushed forward, while he is not promoted, he will be disheartened. The employee can get disgruntled and disagree not only with the supervisor but with the other employees. On the other hand, the manager can fall out with an employee who was promoted and is not delivering a high level of work as expected.

Performing the Duties of Others

Have you ever worked in an organization where the supervisor recognizes that you have special talents? If you have, you may have been stuck with tasks outside your job description. Sometimes the tasks are actually those of other employees who are somehow unable to perform. If the tasks are relevant to your position, then you can add same to your resume. However, employees can quickly get frustrated when other staff's work is set upon them just because they can excel at simple tasks like adding page numbers to a document or formatting a memo. When employees are singled out to perform tasks that others should be doing, it can lead to frustration.

Breakdown in Communication

 A breakdown in communication can be unclear communication or lack of communication. Unclear communication causes rifts between couples, with friends and certainly between employees and supervisors. According to the Jamaica Gleaner in a September 23, 2007 article, " Communication Likely to Affect Loyalty in the Workplace - JEF ", "a group of workers surveyed by the Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF) has identified communication at the workplace as the number one factor likely to influence their loyalty to their organizations". Communication breakdown can occur in the sharing of complaints and qualms, whether considered insignificant or major. It can also happen when tasks given out are vague. Both the employer and the employee have to ensure that communication is clear and definitive to avoid conflict.

Salary Issues

Salary, especially with the soaring oil and food prices, is very important to employees in all levels in an organization. Any action that affects an employee's take home pay, specifically a decrease, will be cause for disagreement with the supervisor. In some instances, an employee may have exceeded the allotted sick days or vacation leave for a year and has to take leave without pay. This instance may also fall under the unclear communication heading if the supervisor does not explain the company's policy and the country's labor laws.

Micro-management

There are some employees that need constant supervision. However, many staff members are capable of executing their tasks with little or no supervision. Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines micromanage as "to manage especially with excessive control or attention to details". Employees, especially those who are mid-level to senior staff members, may want to work independently on most projects. An example where micromanagement may lead to disagreement is where a senior worker is assigned a project and is implementing said task with a team of peers and subordinates. When the manager intercedes and gives new tasks or orders changes to the subordinates, then there is a strong chance that there will be a negative interaction between the project head and manager. Micromanagement in such a case also causes the subordinates to be confused and they may lose confidence in the project head.

Disrespectful or Inappropriate Behavior

There is no toleration for disrespectful or sexually suggestive behavior in the workplace. This is not only a cause for contention and can also bring litigation by the employee or the employer. Even if your supervisor swears, that is no indication that any employee should follow such behavior. Sexual advances are also not acceptable by either the management or the staff or across either level. 

There are several reasons why employees and supervisor disagree. While we hope to have a peaceful work environment, contention will occur. When disagreement becomes constant, then all sides need to meet on all issues, with a mediator if needed, to get the organization running optimally without

unnecessary disturbances.

Sources:

• Communication Likely to Affect Loyalty in the Workplace - JEF", Jamaica Gleaner, Published September 23, 2007 and accessed online May 3, 2011
• Miriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed online on May 3, 2011
• Billikopf, Gregorio. Labor Management in Agriculture (2nd Edition, 2003). College of Natural Resources of the University of California, Berkeley. Accessed online version on May 3, 2011.

POEM: I have

I've seen the mighty fallen
and I've seen the fallen rise
I have travelled to the hilltops
as I asked God to open my eyes

I've roared like a mountain lion
I've risen to the mighty call
I have lived in the naked nature
I've sat in trees majestically tall

I've prayed with the downtrodden
I've given them a helping hand
I've seen the struggles of ten thousand
I walked with them on the black sand

I want to be among the mighty
I love nature's open call
I wish for peace among the nations
for us to all stand strong and tall

ribbon

Nature - Trying to love it all

Nature is so beautiful. There are things in nature that scare us, however. I love the trees except for the posionous ones like the Machineel. I love butterflies but I can't stand cockroaches, scorpions, tarantulas and centipedes, which are all somewhat poisonous. I do like the oleander, the national flower of the British Virgin Islands, but it is also poisonous yet beautiful.

Nature has so many varying species - all somewhat related yet so different. Nature encompasses the land, sea and air along with us. Our role is to sustainably shepherd the environment so that it will replenish until God comes for his world.

I realize that the Food Chain, Water Cycle and other such theories show balance and replenishing. If I try to eradicate all the honey bees, then there will be havoc - no pollination and no honey. If I rid the world of lizards and geckos, we will be run over by flies and mosquitos, another insect that I do not like at all.

Life is nature and nature is balance. Enjoy the environment and try to take care of it. Manage your waste responsibly and appreciate Mother Earth.

Ribbon Bares Her Soul....

If I could turn back the hands of time, I would not. God has a perfect plan in place and in play so why would I want to mess with that. It makes no sense for me to wish that I had more, said more or did less. It's already happened. I can only strive to encourage those around me to do right and not to fall into the traps I fell into.

I may say that slavery should not have happened or any of the wars. I may have tried to stop the natural disasters or nuclear disasters. I may want to save the environment. However, it is in the Almighty Father's hands. I can only be the best steward and flock leader that I can be.

I have done many a wrong and will not pretend that I am perfect. I have fallen down and have gotten back up. I am crawling right now and am trying to get better. There is no reward in false pretense and trying to put on airs. That air will deflate and drop you. I will not steal to look good or drive a big car. I will not be hungry because of credit card debt for nonsensical things.

I have accepted that I can not turn back the hands of time. I can not change the past. I can look back and see my errors and try to be better today. I can inspire others with my story in the effort to keep them on the right path.

I am not the perfect role model and never will be. I'm just the abnormal thinker who will not try to change the past but who will forge ahead for a better tomorrow. It is God's will and is all in his hands.