The holidays are a time for family, for thinking of loved ones. They also remind us of our debt to those we work with every day. Everyone occasionally comes to work grouchy and dispirited, only to have the day brightened and our mood changed by the smile and sympathy of a fellow worker. Universities offer these kinds of experiences because we often think of the university as an extended family. This feeling makes the university a special place to work.
Families support each other and families also have squabbles.
Reconciliation, however, always seems to come. Brothers hug and make up, roughhouse a little, remember that they love each other. We hope they are learning how people live together. Universities have squabbles too, usually because they train us to be skeptical, to challenge conventional wisdom. It makes the university a very stimulating family.