It has been a bit of a reflection time for me and for this reason I have not really shared much content. It is always beneficial to step back a little bit in life, so that we can create that space where we can feel who we really are. I embraced the changes over this time.
A few weeks ago felt something particularly meaningful to me happened, especially on a Tuesday.
That morning I woke up with a particularly active mind and I really wanted to take a chance to have a walk by the river before I started work for the rest of my day. I happened to find a full cafe loyalty card by the Plough Way Café Deli (it was given to me in an instance where I wanted to buy some fresh pasta but there wasn’t any available – an appreciated act of kindness from the store manager). Both that place and the Tesco Express next to it have been the places I visited most frequently during lockdown. There is something special attached to them. In addition to that, I am always willing to contribute to the community (I love Tesco’s slogan “Every little helps”).
So, I set off to go the café and enjoy a nice free single espresso, helping me wake up and get a nice boost for the day. I could really feel the work of my meditation sessions regarding receiving and feeling both in the mind and in the body in order to trigger some positive emotions and embodiment. I still feel that moment thinking about it. Gives me nice sensations. It was really the quiet time I needed to recharge. The river always helps me wind down and shift to a state of calm and being, instantly. On the way back I decided to stop and buy some food for lunch at the Tesco that I had mentioned previously. Lately I have been particularly inspired by Dr Nilesh Satguru’s work on lack of recognition.
One of my most recent quotes that I had shared with my meditation group was “The most precious gift that we can offer anyone is our attention. When Mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom.” Thich Nath Hahn
I have experienced some poor recognition myself and observe it all around. It is quite shocking to learn from research that such a small amount of employees are recognised at work. Another current issue is shortage of staff which makes the work even harder. Sometimes it is very easy to turn on autopilot mode when the job becomes monotonous and hard. The Tesco express is open 24/07. This means workers could have long shifts or shifts at any point in the day. While browsing for my shopping I noticed a space and some items out of place, which made it a bit confusing for shoppers (especially ones in a rush to identify clearly, causing mistakes and perhaps having to come back to clarify – something I can relate to as that has happened to me a few times and had to go back to correct the mistake). I decided to point that out constructively to the shift leader. People working in that store are always very kind and helpful. I have always wondered why so. When such kindness happens an ex-boss of mine comes back to my mind. He felt that the kinder you are to people and the kinder they will be back (this is particularly linked to Dr Hamilton’s ripple effect that I wrote about in one of my previous post blogs).
As soon as I came back home I decided to call Customer Care to spend some time leaving some positive feedback in order to encourage staff and motivate them. So that day I continued with my work with really good energy in my body (I am someone who strongly believes that positive things trigger other positive things in a domino effect of positivity).
Unfortunately when I got back to Tesco on a Friday I found out to my disappointment that there had been a problem with the system (perhaps a technical glitch) and for this reason the employees were able to see that there was some feedback for them but could not log into the case created. I was given then a piece of paper to leave some feedback online.
I then persevered in my mission and decided to call again to investigate. As a follow up the assistant mentioned sending an email to the store manager directly. I took a chance to add some comments on the carrots that had gone off (I was previously unwell due to some rotten kefir) and compliment on the meal deal they sell (that includes a natural energy drink).
I felt a very strong sense of community and I am really keen to continue making time for feedback, help with changes. Exactly in the same way I am always open and appreciate when it is done to me. It is a fantastic chance to grow.
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Paola Francesi 