The Daily Word for July 9, 2021

 

operose - adjective - displaying a lot of effort (Lexico.com)

To be operose should never be viewed as derogatory, yet there are always people who tend to take a positive trait and make it negative. You know what I mean. They are the same people who look at that proverbial glass and see that it is half empty and not half full. My daughter, a Millennial, can be this way. I am not sure if her attitude is indicative of her generation or what. Apparently, one of my daughter's colleagues, someone that borders on being officious, is annoying operose. She puts way too much effort into doing her job well, spending hours after hours to ensure that all the t's are crossed and the i's, dotted. In short, the colleague's work ethic is beyond beyond. As a result, my daughter complains about her endlessly, except when the woman goes out of her way to do something special on my daughter's behalf. Which is when the guilt sets in, and my daughter dons an apologetic attitude. Sound familiar? 

When we are in the midst of operose individuals, we immediately feel insecure. It is as though what we do is never good enough in comparison to what they do. It is then when their selflessness, a trait common in operose people, shines like a beacon that we are rendered speechless. The light enlarges to surround us and an epiphany occurs. Perhaps these people are not trying to make us look bad after all. Perhaps they are just doing what needs to be done, and we are not. 

Today is Friday, my personal favorite day of the week. As it is day 5 at the workplace, the slackers slack off because they know they can probably get away with it. If you find yourself in this category, try a different tactic, if only just for today. Experiment. Step into the shoes of the operose employee and walk around in them. You might just find that you like the feel of the shoes despite them being new. If nothing else, by the end of the day, you'll feel like you accomplished something.

And that's never a bad thing. 

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