Alarming

No matter how much we love what we do for a living, I think all of us experience moments of work dread--that feeling where we have to exert extreme willpower to get up and get going to the job. For some people, certain times of the year, week, or month are more stressful than others--accountants come April, retailers near the holidays, bank tellers on payday, ER workers on Saturday night. For others, specific situations, whenever they occur, can up the stress ante--a visit from the CEO, an employee evaluation, inspection by the state. And all of us have experienced those day-to-day personality conflicts which crop up out of nowhere and linger far longer than they should. But most of us don’t have to wonder if we are coming home after the day’s shift. Most of us don’t regularly face the possibility of grievous injury, the loss of our friends, or the sight of terrible destruction and tragedy. Yet, there are men and women who do. Somehow, when you consider what the firefighter’s work dread must feel like, having someone eat your Lean Cuisine from the breakroom fridge, going to an early staff meeting, or working unexpected overtime seems like a really small thing to feel upset over. We all know they rush in when we rush out, but they also go every day even when they don’t want to rush anywhere. In Lois Lenski’s The Little Fire Engine, the truck gets the spotlight, but it doesn’t drive itself, does it?

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Fire-Engine-Lois-Lenski/dp/0375810706

http://www.purplehousepress.com/sig/lenskibio.htm