Many hands make light work

I stage managed an event today. It was quite a deal - an employee appreciation day/career fair for several hundred people. I worked to make sure the show portion ran smooth, which had its challenges.  I'm the person in charge backstage, and things move quickly and change quickly.  You have to be nimble and juggle a lot of information while projecting into the near future, problem solving sometimes along the way. There are even people to help, though sometimes I forget or find it challenging to ask. Most of the time I have to when I'm forced into a corner, but I see I'll just do it myself a lot of the time.

I dated a radical faerie when I lived in New York. We would go to gatherings where we would camp in the woods, and two of the most favorite sayings were, "eat lightly so others may lightly eat," and "many hands make light work."  Both stuck with me, but the second feels profound.  It's true. The event today was gargantuan, and it took multitudes to make it happen. Similarly, almost nothing I own or come across in my day, is made by a single person. This computer wasn't. My apartment, my car, my phone, my clothes, what I eat, were all made or touched by many hands. I do not know that the repetitive work is light, but I know without many hands, much of what I experience in a day would not be possible.

I should remember that more often. Give aid when asked, and ask when needed.

My favorite proverb is "a stitch in time saves nine."  That's another one to work on and remember.

Two other quick thoughts - I posted something on Instagram with a proverbial sense like the above, and labeled it #proverb.  Immediately, I had several Christian users like my photo. The internet, when things like that happen, freaks me out a little. Or maybe it was spam.

When I was at lunch during the event, at a Carl's Jr., a woman walked up to me and asked for money, saying she was in a local women's shelter. I almost stopped her from speaking, but listened. I also told her that everyone there, which was almost the whole place, wearing shirts of the same color as each other, all worked for a non-profit org and might have resources.  She said, "yeah, but you're the only one wearing a suit."  It's true, I was.  I gave her a dollar, and she introduced herself.  She tried to give me a piece of candy for the dollar, but I didn't take it. She smiled and said she'd include me in her prayers. Her name is LeeAnn. I'm putting it out there so you might do the same.  Many hands make light work.