Hoots, Howls, and Hollers 04/04/2011

So, do you smile or laugh out loud when you walk into work and when you walk out the door at the end of your shift? You are a lucky person if you answered yes to this question. Last Friday, yes that would have been April Fool’s Day, that is exactly what happened at Liberty all day long!

In order to keep an official tally on our staff and volunteer hours we have installed a bar coded system that reads everyone’s identification badges when they enter and leave….making sure that at the end of the day everyone has checked out and no one is inadvertently locked in an enclosure in the back of the property out of ear shot of the staff (and yes, that has happened before…thank goodness for cell phones). This system also lets us make documented statements regarding staff and volunteer hours related to our needs, etc.

Thanks to our savvy volunteer, John Glitsos, the system has been functioning for almost two years. Everyone coming in is greeted with a voice from the box that says something normal like Good Morning upon entering and Good Day upon leaving….becoming wallpaper and to be expected after a while.

Not so on Friday. As staff or volunteers entered they were greeted by a sound track of voices, statements, ditties, etc. from none other than The Simpsons…..very, very funny stuff….Homer sang to some people, Bart yelled for his burrito and the dog barked relentlessly for others. Every person walking in the door came in with a belly laugh and a really big smile. People greeted others coming in to hear what the box said to them….and then everyone had another big laugh together.

And, guess what….not one person failed to sign in or out. As each person left at the end of the day, they left with a smile and a chuckle.

It was hot on Friday. The rush of orphan season is beginning. The flies have moved in for the season, and it would be very easy to find something to grouse about even though the work being done is rewarding and important. But it was really hard on Friday to stop smiling and chuckling throughout the day.

Thanks, John, for a most pleasant surprise; thanks for being fun; and thanks for reminding us that humor can go a long way towards making everything we do more enjoyable.