I've been at Grabill Branch for about 6 months now, and I continue to be excited about meeting new patrons and finding out about their interests, as well as getting to know the other folks who work here. I've met many patrons who are also interested in farming, rural living, animal husbandry, and books and reading.Since I've moved from an urban branch to a rural branch, I'm now in the minority in my political and religious views. I'm a pants-on-fire liberall, and most of the people I serve are very conservative. While it was fun to serve urban patrons who were "like me," there's something essential that I'm trying to learn about serving people with a different world view than the one I have. I haven't really figured it out yet, but I'm working on it.
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I learned a lot of neat things from the patrons during my 12 years in the Harlan/Grabill area. By watching how many of the parents interact with their children, I learned about patience and discipline. I absolutely loved that so many of the people out there are quiet, peaceful people who follow the rules and make good examples for their children.
I also was forced to learn acceptance of people who think differently than I do. Before I worked in Harlan and Grabill, my attitude was that I was more educated and my opinion was better than theirs. I admit that I assumed people were not as learned as me because of the area where they lived. I found out that people with a different background than mine have skills that I do not, and I could learn so much from them. In general, I think working there made me more tolerant, accepting and loving. I am grateful for the years I worked there!
I've found this working in IT as well. People in IT tend to be more conservative so it's hard to have conversations about various topics. So we just talk about other things we do have in common.
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