A Conference Room Full Of Random Thoughts

For much of this past week I have been in and out of meetings at all different times of day and every imaginable length. Given the time of year it really isn’t a surprise to have these kinds of days. The summer months are a time for planning and strategy in addition to our usual ongoing efforts. However, it is during these long sessions in the conference room when the conversations tend to veer off course.

One of the common culprits is a when a simple reference is made and only half of those in the room know the origin of the term or word. It’s like when someone knocks on the door and says “Land shark” or “Candy gram” there are going to be people with grins and others with blank stares. This inevitably turns the discussion into a back and forth about what we remember growing up and what may have been missed by some.

It is fascinating how much you can relate to your colleagues just by recalling random memories from childhood and during the early parts of your life. Not the major events just the small moments, songs, television shows, movies, and the other things that passed by without us giving them a second thought. Even the way that certain streets used to look or department stores that we used to visit. These are the conversations that make me wonder if I have really gotten to that point in life when we look back and wonder how things have changed so much.

Of course, what doesn’t help in this self-evaluation is the fact that I rarely get references to current pop culture and I frequently find myself giving directions according to old stores and landmarks. Heck, I still prefer writing notes by hand, reading paper copies of books and documents, and paying by check. And, what really throws off my oldest niece, I still text in complete sentences with all the words spelled out… I don’t know if that is more my age, a little OCD, or both.

In the end, time moves forward, life happens, and changes occur. All we can do is keep our perspective and appreciate all that we have seen and done… everything it a memory. While we can see, feel, and sense our memories that is all that they are. It is interesting how those present events can awaken the thoughts of the past merging the two into a new experience that makes you wonder how old you really are. It makes you think about how long it will take before you look back at today in the same way that you look back to memories from childhood. Is that even possible? I guess we will have to wait and find out.