“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African proverb
“You’re a people person, who knew?” – Global 10 client
This morning I went to my latest and greatest favorite greasy spoon, sat down, ordered my regular Saturday morning special – huevos rancheros, $8.99 – a cup of coffee, glass of water and read my paper. I’ve had a lot of those over the years – favorite greasy spoons – at home and on the road. They, like many other things, are my routine. I am a creature of habit for all my love of continuing education and challenge, the latter not always by choice.
A solitary sole [sic], I’ve never been averse to eating, traveling, working alone, by myself. It’s not that I’m anti-social, I simply don’t, never have had, the same quotient for human interaction that others do. There’s a reason for that, I still remember. In fact, with all the past quarter century’s road-warring I’ve met and worked with many, many people, but in my head usually it’s just me. And I’m good with that. Never been one for venturing out of the hotel room at the end of the day, hitting the bar, whooping it up. Just the workout room, the TV, a laptop or notebook and the day’s end’s work. That be me.
In that quarter century first it was a CGI monitor on a humongous computer arm attached to an equally huge (and heavy) solid oak hutch and an old white worktable I’d had for years, both courtesy of Al the Pal and my first failed endeavor at entrepreneurship, a little tower and a home-based office. Then it was employees and dedicated office space, then more employees, more office space, sub-contractors, partners, clients and the road.
Then there was an implosion, a reset, years of re-building, even more years of stasis, stability, more or less. There’s still the occasional punch to the head to remind me who’s in charge, but now no more. All – employees, contractors, partners, office space, equipment (most of it) – are gone. Today and tomorrow I’ll clean the remaining detritus from this past year off of the desk in my home office and Monday morning it… will… be… just… me. This was, is, deliberate. It’s not good, not bad, “it is what is is.” That last became more than just a saying years ago. It’s the next step. Me. Just me. The kids will be fine, I’ve shown them the way and some have already spread their wings and set aloft.
Some football today, some more tomorrow, the requisite menudo tomorrow for New Year’s good luck (it’s a Mexican thing) and then back into the fray for one last run.
What’s next?
What’s the moral of your story Mr. Peabody?
- The destination may remain the same, but the path is ever-changing. In this instance though, the destination has changed as well. I have a target, a timeline and I will get there faster on my own.
- I’ll still walk across the side of mountains, but now I have help to get me there sooner. And so it goes.
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