Has Anyone Seen My Ground Prong?

Today at work I was charged with the task of meeting with an Oregon OSHA consultant and taking him on a tour of our property to see what kinds of improvements could be made.

What was one of the major pitfalls?  Missing ground prongs.  You know, that third thing that sticks out of electrical plugs that is sometimes there and sometimes not?  Evidently we have several cords and vacuums that should have prongs and don’t - thus creating a fire hazard.  Ok, got it.  We’ll get right on it.

The big picture thinker in me was a bit struck by the absurdity of so much focus on a tiny piece of metal.  Like I said, I get that it’s important.  It just seems so very far removed from what really matters.  I’ve worked in enough jobs over the past few years, though, to learn that sometimes it really is those tiny, seemingly absurd details that can make or break someone else’s big picture.

Real life example from my days as a legal assistant: A woman with MS is riding as a passenger in a car and gets hit by another driver.  Less than a week later, the same thing happens, by a different driver.  Neither accident is her fault.  

Big picture thoughts that immediately come to my mind: How will this woman respond to and accept these difficult life events that have just simply happened to her? 

Small picture details - (or can I say, “ground prongs”): 100’s of pages of medical records, countless phone calls to insurance adjusters, heated depositions trying to conjure up any and all skeletons in her closet, lawyer’s fees, doctor bills...the list is a mile long full of... 

...you guessed it - “ground prongs.”

I have always struggled with this dance.  This dance between focusing on the big picture ideas and concerns that are at the heart of people and life - and the other side of life that focuses  on “ground prongs.”  

Truth be told: I’m not a “ground prong” person.   I’m an “electricity” person.  And I have that affirmed to me just about every day.  (Like when my mind wanders to thoughts like what I’ve written above - after doing an OSHA inspection.)  However, I have come to realize that it takes ALL kinds of people to reach the conclusions in life that we are meant to reach.  And that’s a beautiful thing...almost as nice as a fully intact electrical plug.

Are you more of a “ground prong” person, or an “electricity” person?  Or, better yet, have you been in a job that has required you to have a focus that differs from your natural tendency of focus?