***You Owe Your Employer Your Attention

So I always thought that it was just a joke. But then it happened to me.

I was out on the four-lane highway driving to a speaking presentation at about 7:30 in the morning. I was following a red, late-model pick-up truck which was a safe distance in front of me. I was listening to the news on the radio when the truck in front of me suddenly veered ever closer to the ditch and then a quick left and it was back on the highway in the right hand lane.

Less than a minute later the wheels of the truck began to veer over the center line of the highway and then a quick jerk of the wheel and the truck soon had two wheels in the shoulder and two wheels in the right lane. Within a few seconds the truck was continuing its way in the right lane.

Less than a minute later, there it was again heading for the ditch again when another quick jerk of the wheel put the truck back on the highway.

"This guy must be drunk," I thought to myself. It's not unusual for police to issue DUI tickets early in the morning while people's blood-alcohol levels are still high from the night before. Actually, it's probably the best time to catch drivers who were too drunk the night before but now with a few hours sleep think the alcohol is all out of their system.

As I said that, the truck in front began to slow down. I immediately pulled out into the left lane and sped up a little to get by quickly and without incident. As I pulled up alongside the drunk guy in the red pickup, I noticed he wasn't drunk nor was he a he. He was a she putting on her makeup using one of those big makeup powder brushes across her forehead and upper cheeks. She was concentrating on her handiwork in the rear view mirror and didn't even notice me slipping by her in the left lane. Heck she couldn't even see the cars behind her because her head was in the way of seeing anything out the back, makeup brushes across her face in front and nary a care in the world of how she was driving that day.

Oh c'mon people. Really. Do we even have to talk about this one. I mean we are entertaining laws about banning the use of cell phones in the car but c'mon really, which one here is more likely to cause an accident?

Look. Here's the way I see it. When you turn on the lights in your house, your employer pays that bill. Your car in the driveway, the heat in the house, the groceries on the table, all of the things you have in front of you today were likely paid for by your employer.

Now I'm not saying that your employer owns you but I am saying that you owe it to your employer to give him or her your undivided attention - while you're at work and while you're on your way to work. Then there are the things you do at home like operating a lawnmower while wearing sandals, crawling up a shaky ladder, working on the roof without harnessing. You know, all of the dumb little accidents that happen at home that never would have happened had you used your head for a minute.

Your employer has chosen you to fulfill some duties at your workplace. They have specifically chosen you and have made a deal: you keep showing up and working and they'll keep paying you. It's a fair deal. But in many respects, your not showing up inconveniences your employer. Someone else has to fill in and productivity drops that day.

So, when you're on your way to work in the morning, try not to turn your vehicle into a bathroom. No makeup, no shaving, no loss of attention. The mirror in your car is for seeing other drivers, not how pretty your eyes are.

Your employer, through paychecks, has probably paid for the tank of gas and the vehicle that gas is in. They just want you to show up safe. Try not to do something dumb that would jeopardize the cozy little arrangement you two have. You know, the money-for-work thingy?