Pam dropped her bag next to her desk and flopped into her chair. Leaning forward she let her forehead crash onto her keyboard with a dull thud.

“Ow,” she muttered to herself more to say something rather than any exclamation of pain.

“Your sinus self-percussion technique leaves much to be desired,” Dwight commented without looking up.

“My what?” Pam raised her head to look at her co-worker between their monitors.

“Self-percussion,” Dwight told her and tapped his forehead as if it was obvious. When Pam just shrugged at him, he sighed and went on. “Self-percussion is a technique wherein one uses a series of progressively intense and rhythmic taps to dislodge mucus from the sinus cavities of the skull. I have used the technique successfully for years in order to effect a constant flow of mucus, thus leaving my sinus cavities clear, thus giving me one more advantage in staving off any illness I might encounter.”

Pam sighed and let her head fall forwards again. “Please don’t say the word mucus anymore.”

“My apologies,” Dwight’s voice had a tinge of sarcasm to it now. “Would you prefer I use the term skull sludge?”

“I’d prefer you not say anything,” she answered. “I just bombed my last sales call and now I’ve got a killer headache.”

Dwight blew his lips. “Typical. Failure is not something to wallow in young padawan. It is an opportunity to evaluate your mistakes, so you don’t make the same mistake again. Before you head out for another sales call or pick up the phone you should re-live your last interaction. Take stock of your strengths and weaknesses. The sooner the better while the memories are still fresh.”

Pam was about to offer a retort but paused for an instant. Even though the advice had come from Dwight and delivered in an almost condescending tone of voice, she had to admit his words also made sense. She sat back up and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Dwight.”

He nodded at her. “When chopping trees, it’s important to pause and sharpen one’s ax.”

Not sure of what to make of the last comment, Pam just nodded and turned to her computer monitor. He’s sometimes, well a lot of times, annoying, but there’s also a reason why he’s one of the best salesmen in the company. He can also be sweet in his own Dwight-ish way, she thought to herself as a memory of his arm around her shoulders and him offering her a handkerchief bubbled up in her mind. Twenty minutes later she looked over the list of strengths and weaknesses she’d typed up.

Strengths

·         I showed up early to the meeting time

·         I didn’t smell bad

·         I didn’t get lost on the way over

·         I had several samples ready to show the client

Weaknesses

·         I thought the client I was going to see was a woman

·         They needed copy paper and I only brought card stock

·         My cell phone kept ringing during the meeting

·         I only had the card stock price list

·         I forgot the list of discounts

·         I got flustered when I met with a man rather than a woman

Takeaways

·         Be sure you know who you’re going to go see

·         Have multiple samples of different products

·         Turn your phone to silent during a meeting

·         Always have an updated price and discount list

·         Keep arriving early

·         Do more research on the client so you know what they need before they ask

Satisfied she’d done as fair a job on self-evaluation as she could, Pam created a new file on her hard drive and filed away her list. Blowing out a breath she was about to pull up her cold call sheet. The idea that it would be good to take a quick break in her thinking in order to help reset her brain led her to clicking over to Facebook. As she’d expected Jim had posted his latest journal entry.

Journals of a Stay-at-home-Dad. Day 10. The sun is out and the yard is clear. Fair weather like this can only mean one thing. Solo errands. Small Human was so excited at this prospect she spit up all over her clean onesie. She seemed quite amused by this however and her grin had me laughing right along with her. Small Rabbit seems convinced he'll find food under the table. His vigil is sure and constant, though actual food is two feet from him in his cage. The wonders of nature never cease to amaze. I'll have to check the game trail again for sustenance. Though not a challenging adversary, Leftovers are plentiful in the area right now and the locals say are quite tasty.

Pam grinned to herself at the image of Jim cleaning up Cece. Closing the window, she pulled up her call sheet, took a breath, and reached for her phone. An hour later she’d renewed the contract on a long-standing client and successfully made two one-time sales. She’d just returned to her desk after dropping the new contracts off at Accounting when she heard Erin’s voice behind her.

“Jim! What are you doing here? Awww Cece! She’s getting so big!”

Her own eyebrows raised as she spun in her chair. Sure enough, Jim was pushing their stroller up to the reception desk. Erin was out of her chair and cooing over Cece.

“Shhh,” Jim implored her. “She fell asleep in the car.”

“Oh right!” Erin looked up with wide eyes and lowered her voice.

“What are you doing here?” Pam asked as she walked over.

“You forgot your lunch,” Jim told her simply and help up two sack lunches. “I figured I’d join you before we get the rest of the errands done.”

Warmth flooded Pam at the sight of her husband and daughter. She leaned forward for a brief hug and quick peck on his lips. “Sounds lovely.”

The rest of the office stopped what they were doing to greet Jim and Cece as soon as his presence was noticed. After enduring the same questions about his health and general admiration of Cece, Jim and Pam were finally able to sit down in the break room for lunch.

“So, how’s the day going?” Jim asked.

“Started rough, but it’s getting better,” Pam answered as she set a grape soda on the table for Jim and a cola for her. She told him about her failed sales call, Dwight’s advice, and her strengths and weaknesses list.

“After that, I paused for a minute and read your latest journal. It helped knock away some of the cobwebs, so the rest of the morning has been a lot better,” she finished.

“I’m glad things are looking up for you,” Jim reached over to put a hand on her arm.

“Thanks,” Pam said around a mouthful of the Swiss Cake Roll Jim had packed for her. “Did Dwight ever give you any of his folksy wisdom when you first started?”

Jim let out a laugh at her question. “Only all the time. I remember a few weeks after I first started, he started going on about how sales are like square dancing. I was sure he was about to break out a fiddle.”

Jim and Pam smiled and laughed with each other for the rest of their lunch break.