Today in my office the fire alarm went off. We've all been there before - the fire alarm goes off, we sit at our desk for a bit hoping it stops. We walk around the hallway, chat with some folks, maybe take a quick smell to make sure there's no smoke. But we wait. Our nature is to think it's a false alarm and so we wait for the all clear. But in this case, as I was stalling and waiting, I heard the following, "Here come the fire trucks." I looked out my window, and well, there they were. Three of them. Plus a fourth smaller vehicle with a couple of more people in it. At that point, I know that being on the 10th floor will take some time to get to the first floor. I know that the elevators are shut down. So at that point, I heed the alarm. I do what I should have done fifteen minutes earlier. I make the trek from 10 to 1. And when I get there, I see the fire personnel getting everyone outside. Thankfully about fifteen minutes later, we get the "all clear". No fire. No damage. No need to stand outside any longer. But what if there had been a fire? What if the fire had closed off access to the 10th floor but I had decided to stay put? What if I had declined to heed the alarm? Declined to heed the call? There are many things in life where we need to simply heed the call. Let's make it a part of our daily lives - heed the call. Maybe it's a call to be a better spouse. A better friend. A better partner at work. A better person. A kinder spirit. A more compassionate mindset. Heed the call. The call to do more, to work smarter. Maybe it's a call to work less and be home more. Whatever it is, I challenge you - heed the alarm - heed the call. Will you?
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