On what started out as a typical Thursday evening, Lori Lane, with the City’s Owasso Strong Neighborhoods department, observed someone unzipping a jeep top while the alarm was going off and contacted the police.  The police arrived and were able to apprehend the suspects.  Once the jeep owners came out of the store we realized that they also worked for the City.  Lori’s awareness and quick action turned what could have been a bad day into a good day for the jeep owners.   The Police department recognized Lori Lane for the character trait of alertness.  Her story is a great reminder of the importance of this month’s character trait alertness.

As much as I like to think I would have noticed the alarm and  the individuals breaking into the jeep, I have to acknowledge that I often go about my day mentally moving on to the next item on my to do list without paying much attention to what is going on around me.  Even with the alarm going off, would I have assumed it was another random car alarm going off or would I have taken the time to see if something was wrong?

The character trait of alertness involves being aware of what is taking place around me so I can have the right responses.    This brings to mind the times I have been in line to purchase 2 or 3 items and the person in front of me with several items told me to go in front of them.  After this happened to me a few times it struck me not only how kind this act was, but how alert these individuals were to even notice I only had a couple of items.  This is when I first realized I tend to move through tasks solely focused on getting the task completed without being very aware of what was going on around me.  The kindness and alertness of others has set an example for me, and helped me to be more alert in similar situations; just as Lori set an example of the difference that can be made when one is aware of what is going on around them.

Alertness has to be balanced with Attentiveness, paying careful attention to a person or a task.  When at work or completing an assignment or chore that requires concentration, a lack of focus can result in sloppy or incomplete work.  The tools we have that increase our ability to accomplish tasks also increases the number of distractions we have to manage.  Smartphones with 24/7 access to information, email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram all have the benefit of giving us unlimited access to information and people, but unrestrained can result in a lack of focus on what is important.  If keeping up with the latest post on Facebook is a priority, we may not even notice the co-worker in the next cubicle needing someone to talk to about a major life event.

Increasing awareness to what is going on around us not only increases our alertness but also gives us the opportunity to complete a project better, or even more importantly give us the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s day.

Originally published in the Owasso Reporter