Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

We each have a reputation, something about us that others “know.” What is it? What do I want it to be?

I go to a coffee shop on Saturday mornings to view the Internet and write blog posts. On a recent Saturday I found car keys in the bathroom (shows how old I am as I still call them “car keys” instead of “fob.”)

I suspected, correctly so, that they belonged to one of the runners who frequent the place on Saturday morning as I do. They run a while at daybreak and then come into the coffee shop for breakfast and conversation. They change clothes in the bathroom and are the most likely to leave keys on the baby changing table.

I took they keys to their table and a man claimed them. They were surprised that I guessed one of them owned the keys. One of them asked, “Do we have a reputation?”

Well, yes, you do. Well, yes, we all do.

Hmmm, what is our reputation? What is my reputation? As much as I would like to deny it, I have one here in the coffee shop. I have one at work. I have one at home and everywhere else. What do I want it to be?