What a ride!

And I don't just mean the recent dust-up over brown bags. I suspect we're all thoroughly sick of that one; at least I am. I am also sorry about the wounds inflicted. Seems like when we have passionately held points of view, it's hard not to express them pretty passionately. My style tends to be less direct than others', though just as passionate, and that has its own set of disadvantages.

My friend Margaret Marcuson at the Marcuson Leadership Circle (check her out on my blogroll) reminds me that our communication styles come, in large part, from our family settings. My family tended to soft-pedal conflict and talk it out quietly, if at all. Others have different styles. It's useful to understand that and to see where it works to our advantage and to our disadvantage.

Anyhow, the other wild ride was yesterday's journey to Vashon, which is where I am making shameless heavy use of my hostess's computer. Because of needing to go to the library to use the computer while mine is on the blink, I hung around the house much longer than I normally would on a Vashon day. The plan was to go to the library at 11, do the email stuff, catch up on blog reading, come home at 12, eat lunch, get the mail, deposit my paycheck, and go to the ferry dock.

But at 10:30, having nothing left to do to get ready, I turned on the local news just to waste some time because I never turn on TV in the morning. And it was there that I learned that the Mukilteo ferry had crashed into the dock, destroyed some pilings and damaged the boat, and that my normally placid ride to the mainland was going to be much different than I had expected! So now I had to decide---would it be better to try to catch the Keystone ferry and go via Port Townsend or to drive all the way up to the north end of the island, cross at the Deception Pass bridge, and come down I-5 to Seattle and the Fauntleroy ferry to Vashon? I chose the Deception Pass route, having learned that the Keystone ferry was down to one boat and I'd end up waiting longer. Better the sense of progress than the sense of spinning one's wheels waiting.

I had to wait for the mail to come till almost 1 p.m., so I was late getting away, and I didn't get to the Fauntleroy dock in time to catch the 4 p.m. So I missed the Worship Committee meeting on Vashon and arrived at my hostess's home starved and tired from battling Seattle Friday afternoon traffic. Not a picnic, believe me.

But it was useful to have all that time driving, because it gave me an opportunity to sort out my thoughts about criticizing and being criticized. Thanks to all who weighed in, whether pro or con. Your feedback is useful, whether immediately appreciated or not!