A co-worker saw me in the hall around mid-day and commented, “I’m just going to call you “knife”; is there anything you don’t do?”

Since I was just finishing subbing for someone who had a death in the family this week, I had to agree with him — I have my job, the job of the person I’ve been filling in for since October (has been my primary responsibility at the expense of most everything else), and then this temp job.

I once listened to a Medal of Honor winner address my class, and jotted down his comment that “the definition of success is how many people seek you out for advice and information.” The other comment I noted was “Discouragement is the tool of the Devil.” Those were the two most valuable things I took away from a thirty day course I took in January 1998.

From those two comments, I’d say I’m wildly successful at the moment, and the Devil is being held at bay, but he sure worms his way into my life way too often. I keep picturing those toenail fungi they show in television ads burrowing between toenail and the toe. Once discouragement worms his way into your life, it can be tough to extract him.

But, yeah, one of the best things about me is my ability to do many things nearly simultaneously (Note the sausage making entry — that’s how my brain works. Even though that scares you, I feel pretty at home with it). I have a lot of tools in my personal toolbox. I don’t master most things, but I do enough things well enough to get by. I also manage to prioritize to get the critical things done.

Now I have to go analyze a student’s writing to help her devise a plan to improve her grades. She’s passing, but she’s not satisfied and wants to improve.