You can't help all the time

I make a pot of tea every morning when I first get to work. While I wait for the tea kettle to boil, I either strike up a conversation with anyone else in the kitchen or read the paper. But I always check the state of the coffee. There are a few people who take coffee but don't make a new pot if it's needed. So, if one of the three coffee pots is low, I start a new one - trying to be a nice guy.

One particular morning, it was busy in the kitchen and I was talking to some people and just as I noticed that the decaffeinated coffee pot was low, my tea kettle began to boil. I thought I'd quickly make a new pot of coffee and then pour the boiling water into my tea pot. But I hadn't gotten the tea bags ready. So, it was a big rush. I decided to make the coffee first. I dumped out the old grounds, put a new filter in the basket, opened a package of coffee and poured it in the strainer basket and fit it back into the coffee maker. Just as I hit the switch to start the brewing, I realized I had used regular coffee (not decaffeinated) in the coffee maker. There were going to be a lot of people flying around the office without realizing what was going on!

I had to wait around (I finished brewing my tea) until the coffee cycle finished (with a little "hurry up" encouragement from me). Then I topped off the two pots of regular coffee with what I'd just brewed and dumped the rest out. Then, I carefully selected a bag of decaffeinated coffee and made another pot (in the orange marked pot). I finally got back to my desk after about 20 minutes. I'm paid to write programs and solve engineering problems - not to make coffee. There are times to help and there are times when you just have to walk away. It wasn't like anyone was in danger or someone's work was being held up. I've got to try to remember that helping involves some responsibility. Just the fact that you are helping isn't enough. You've got to do the job right, too. You knew that and I'm just reacquainting myself with it.