Passage 8
The Wholeness of Life
There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitations, who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so. There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive, she can lose someone and still feel like a complete person.
Life is not a trap set for us by God so that he can condemn us for failing. Life is not a spelling bee, where no matter how many words you have gotten right, you are disqualified if you make one mistake. Life is more like a baseball season, where even the best team loses one third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance. Our goal is to win more games than we lose. When we accept that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciate it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire to.     That, I believe, is what God asks of us — not “Be perfect”, but “Be whole”.
If we are brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive, generous enough to rejoice in another’s happiness, and wise enough to know there is enough love to go around for us all, then we can achieve a fulfillment that no other living creature will ever know.

Passage 9
Workplace Friendships
A study into workplace relationships has found having a close friend at work can be a major distraction.
Respondents cited excessive chatting, having too much fun and an inability to separate work from play as contributing to a lack of focus.
“When faced with a work-related problem many people will prioritize their friendship over their responsibilities to their organization, which businesses may find concerning,” said psychologist and Auckland University of Technology lecturer, Dr. Rachel Morrison. “Workplace friendships are like a double-edged sword. The benefits of a friendly workplace can be really positive, but organizations should be aware of the potential difficulties and how to manage friendships at work.”
According to the study, many people were concerned about going “softer” with their friends and being expected to treat them with special privileges.
“People naturally want to make their friends feel special, but this conflicts with organizational practices or norms that are set up around fairness and equality. Difficulty in managing these expectations can create tension in the relationship.”
Respondents also experienced a great deal of anxiety about speaking to close friends about substandard work. A basic rule of friendship is being non-judgmental and accepting your friends weaknesses, but giving critical performance feedback conflicts with this.
“We also found issues related to confidentiality practices, which could mean friends have to refrain from sharing information. This can be really challenging for close friendships that have norms of openness and disclosure,” Dr. Morrison said.
Dr. Morrison said organizations should try to provide friendly environments and encourage workplace friendships, but have policies in place to manage potential difficulties.