Tuesday, May 24, 2011

It's been awhile

What has prompted my return to the blog? Well, someone I admire very much and that is unfortunately something I do not say often enough. Last week I had the pleasure of listening to and shaking the hand of Arianna Huffington. A winner. Someone who against the odds, moved to a foreign country with no money, studied hard enough to enter Cambridge and after a few ups and downs just sold her blog idea to AOL for more than 350M. Yes, I admire her for that and more. She speaks on behalf of the individual in all of us. She shows you through her life and her choices that anyone can succeed with perseverance, intelligence, and humour. She spoke at a conference I was at and it was not the greatest speech you ever heard, but it was true and heartfelt. I went up to her after the conference and let her know that she had fans everywhere, pointing to my badge, showing where I currently work, and that some of us are trying very hard to lead and make a difference where it is hardest to do so, where it matters.
She looked at me, then the badge, then smiled and said, "Write about it." I was a little taken aback and merely said that if I could find a way to do so without my company firing me, I would and with that I left her to the throngs.
I thought about that for awhile. We have been here in Texas for exactly 2 years now. 1 year longer than we wanted and thought we would last. It has not been all bad, but the continuous contentious atmosphere that I must work and live in daily has not allowed us to make many friends.
It has been good for some things though. Liam has come into himself. His grades are excellent, he was elected class treasurer for next year and he is learning exactly what his future frenemies are all about. What better way to hone your political skills than to live amongst them? Angus has friends galore and sleepovers weekly. If we can just settle him into sports, that's the next piece of the puzzle. Jeroen has metamorphosed into an F level Information Architect with some serious muscle. I have met some great people and changed their lives, I hope, for the better. When I really think about me though, I cannot say I have evolved at all beyond the normal physical route that is. Grayer, stouter; yes. Smarter, different? No. I feel like I have been stuck for two years moving nowhere fast. The job is just that and the company commands no loyalty from me or others. It's hard working day to day without true interest, not that I recommend it, it's not really that fun and you have to have a very thick skin.
I guess we will call this the blog that restarts some passion in me...since it's really a blog about nothing. Seinfeldish in its substance. However; if this gets me started again 'ranting' as my friend Jorrit once told me, then at least I will have found an outlet for my apathy. Let's hope.

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