Happy Work Anniversary!

Every day when I log on to LinkedIn I see the various status updates from my connections. One that often crosses the screen is the work anniversary. A couple of years ago I missed seeing that update on my account but today that changed as it has now been exactly one year since I returned to my chosen profession.

I still remember the moment that I met my boss for the first time. There was something very different about that interview as she had a genuine interest in not only my work history but who I was and why I enjoyed working in PR. I am not your usual PR professional so being able to talk at length about what I am able to do and how I apply my trade was something that I was glad to share. It was during that interview when I realized that she was looking for something more than just an employee.

This was in stark contrast to the PR environment that I first started in while working in Manhattan. There it is commonplace for people to jump from job to job, firm to firm, just to move up and change things around. That is not what I wanted. I enjoy the profession but that part always seemed against my character. Call me old fashion but I always wanted to work at a company where I could stay for a long time.

A couple of months later, she brought me in for another interview. I still remember walking into the barren office space, announcing myself when I walked into the empty room, and finally being able to sit in the conference room and talk things over with her again. While we had only met once before, we picked up the conversation as if we had shared the same office for years.

I was excited to get started and to rejoin those who occupied the day light hours and enjoy going to the office every day to apply the skills that I have acquired over the years. This office, this company, was a fresh start for both of us and while it has been a lot of work during this past year, I have enjoyed every minute of every day (despite the occasional gripes). It is nice to once again take pride in my work and feel a sense of ownership at the end of the day.

My work anniversary coincides with the company anniversary and to see what we have all built together is something that I take great pride in. While there have been a lot of changes over the past year it is nice to have this one constant offering some stability to the craziness. The year has flown by and I am looking forward to many more years working for the same company and enjoying every day at the office.

I Lied For A Good Reason…

The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me. Not because of anything bad or some of the other things that I have previously written about, it has been difficult because nearly every time I spoke with my sister I had to lie to her. I usually call my sister once a week, sometimes more if there is something going on or being planned, and so I didn’t want to change that routine. However, it was not easy to find things to talk about when I was avoiding talking about any plans for this weekend… I think I even lied to her on her birthday.

From the beginning we knew it would be a challenge but when my brother-in-law said that he wanted to do this we all, without hesitation, agreed that we would do our best to pull it off. Given her long history of finding out any and all plans (or gossip) this was no small talk, especially considering how much my nephew likes to talk. But it was all worth it when we saw her get out of the car today completely surprised, and that is not easy, that we had pulled off a surprise birthday party. Like we would simply let her 40^th birthday come and go without throwing a party.

While for much of my life I didn’t really spend a lot of time talking and really getting to know her, as I have gotten older I have learned how great of a person my sister really is. I admire how much she has accomplished and, in certain instances, overcome. While there were times that I am certain weren’t easy she never gave up and always kept moving forward. At the same time, she was always there if we really needed her for anything. Again, I may have not been aware of it at the time but it is pretty darn clear in hind sight.

And it is great to see her turning 40 at this point in her life as the party itself says a lot not just about my sister but about my brother-in-law as well. The two of them, while it took a while, were made for one another and even though my sister is a pain in his butt back, you can tell that he wouldn’t have it any other way. For how much they both do for everyone else, pulling off this celebration is the least that we could do and I am happy that we could play some, albeit very small, role in pulling it off.

Easy There Gus Gus!

My post for the day is a simple dedication to my wife. While there are countless ways I could embarrass her with the words I chose to write below I am not going to do that. Contrary to the content of many of my previous blogs I am going to be very simple with my words and just write what I am feeling without blathering on and on and on like I just did. So here we go…

My wife, who better be reading this the day it gets posted, is having another birthday today. Seems like there are one of these days every year… we could get old really fast if we keep up this pace. So far we are sticking to the plan of growing older together and that is just fine with me.

I know that I can frequently be a major PITA but, for some reason, she sticks with me year after year. Maybe that just makes me interesting or eccentric. I doubt it. But there are times when I am completely serious, a time such as this when I say with all my heart, I love you!

While the last couple of birthdays have not been very good I am glad that I am able to make this year a little better. Not quite where I would like it to be but there is definitely progress being made. I hope that all subsequent birthdays continue to be sweeter or at least until we hit that tipping point when neither one of us knows how old we are or who we are for that matter.

I am incredibly proud of my wife who has pushed through many obstacles, beyond the ones that I have previously discussed, and has been determined to pursue the career that makes her happy (think of it as staying on the yellow brick road). The job that she looks forward to going to every day and that she is darn good at. I am immensely happy that has become a reality.

I am glad that we have spent the time together this year creating memories and seeing the world around up is a different way. There have been many changes this year but ones that needed to happen to bring us to this day and to bring us closer together. Our life seems to finally be getting back on track and that, I think, is the best gift that I could possibly give my wife on her birthday (I still tried using a coupon for it but it didn’t work).  

 

Happy Birthday Samantha! I love you!

Avoiding Pumpkins

You can't move a letter without putting forth the effort.

The one thing that people keep asking me with regard to my blog is how do I find the time to write and post every day? Well it is quite simple really, I work the graveyard shift. Being that I am the only one up in the middle of the night it is easy to find some quite time to sit at the computer and jot a few notes about what is going on that day, what happened yesterday, or what happens to be on my mind at the time.

Finding time isn’t hard but figuring out what I am going to write about can sometimes be a challenge. I have a few weekly topics/series that provide plenty of fodder but they don’t account for every day of the week. Every week I know that there will be one Rotary related post, one travel post, and a “quote” of the week. Other regular topics include the Mason related postings, occasional networking events, and genealogy centric posts will soon become more prevalent. That leaves a lot of days to fill in.

In this instance I am fortunate to have some OCD writing tendencies. I have an excel file with all the ideas that rattle around in my mind. Most of the time I am able to get them scribbled down on something before they evaporate. To date, I have been diligent about this so that I have a list of topics that will take me through October. With that said, when a time sensitive subject or if the mood strikes me to write about something else, this digital calendar allows me to easily shuffle around the scheduled content. Every once in a while I can even get ahead and take a day off here and there.

Obviously, that has not always been the case as I have taken some postings down to the wire. But, knock on wood, I have yet to turn into a pumpkin and the slipper has always fit even though it sometimes causes blisters. And, fortunately, there has only been a few times where someone has reacted like I was Gus yelling “Happy Birthday!” I guess that is bound to happen when you share your opinion and limit the amount you allow yourself to be censored.

On the flip side of my OCD writing tendencies is the fact that I am constantly struggling with the internal editor yammering on and on about limiting repetition, eliminating clichés, over-saturation of adjectives, and just being long winded in general. I am making a concerted effort to silence that voice when writing this blog but it is a daily/nightly chore. This is designed to be an open, free flowing, sometimes rambling forum with the simple purposes of production, routine, and discipline. Hence, the daily posts.

During this time of transition and uncertainty, blogging on a daily basis forces me to focus on one thing for at least a small portion of the day. Sometimes I reflect on the good things in life, sometimes I vent about the annoyances, and sometimes it is simply a matter of recording experiences so that I can recall them in the future. Regardless of the reason on any given day, I am focused on writing and trying to free up my overly rigid creative process.

This is why I chose to write every day and why I force myself to develop content. What motivates you to write? Do you have a specific area where you write? How do you find the time? From where do you cull your content?