Along Main Street in Ellicott City was this scene. I wish I felt at ease as that flag is. But my body and mind are tight and tense. Big changes going on in the world and on a professional level. Going to try to keep looking for the positives in each day. Like speaking with my Daughter this evening. Or maybe getting a good nights sleep for a change. Still having a job, (as far as I know of) and the holidays almost upon us.

But I’m wondering how long I’ll be in this funk. Kind of takes away the creative juices. Who knows, maybe it will inspire some insightful thought. Well that’s a little much to expect from the old noggin. They say with age comes wisdom. I wonder what that age is? Anyway, I’m about as uncertain of our future as I was during the 60’s and 70’s. Boy I got used to that calm and secure feeling.

I think I’m a pretty flexible person. I do well with change. Hell I’ve worked in an industry for over 40 years that has gone through nothing but constant change. I’ve had to learn many technologies and worked in a great number of capacities. During that span I’ve also been part of organizations changing hands/ownership I believe 4x. Each is unsettling in its own way. Each brings change.

I’ve had many different managers in my history despite working at basically 2 organizations over that 40 years. Some good and some bad. But my current one is moving on and I have a dire feeling that I’m going to miss him more than I know. He is a good man, a smart man, a hard-working man. He has done wonderfully in my eyes over his tenure. Oh of course we have our differences. But we talk about them. We take in each others points of view. (He’s more patient that I am). We agree to disagree sometimes, but we move on and forward.

He manages a pressure filled area. He works many hours and is technically astute. He is a very good coordinator and a very calm presence and leader in any crisis. He has left me alone more than I would like at times but I’ll take that as a sign of trust and respect that I’m giving them good effort. I have no idea what changes are coming or whom is coming/going. But I will do my best to cope and run with the change.

Just as I’ll try to do with the changes in our country. But I didn’t need those two things together. Because I feel both will be a troubled transition. I’m hoping both prove me very wrong for my own sake and many others. And don’t think I’m giving up my right to be an outspoken person at the job or in society if either start to go the wrong way.

Just to prove I can adapt to change and listen and compromise, I’ve been married 36 years. Ops, had to pause there and make sure I had the number right. I’d like to make it to 37. The trick to making things work is adapting to change, listening and compromise. Maybe that is where the saying “the truth lays somewhere in the middle” comes from.