For whom the bell tolls – just once…and those who remain standing

It was a mixed bag week. To quote a famous move line “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get”.

Or, to paraphrase an ex-colleague (very logical question Ansie!) “is there some cost saving, or subsidy related reason that chocolate factories keep putting those least favourites in the box of treats?”

It may be useful to create some context for you on my mixed bag week. On Thursday, I stepped into a meeting after just receiving some downright maleficent news. (That one is for you Uwe 😉 ) .

Maleficent is used to describe harm or destruction, especially caused by supernatural means.

The news was not exactly caused by some unexplained force, although human failings are sometimes simply outside of any reasonably explainable realm. It does not matter what the news was, but it did put my entire being in the most foulest state of mind. And just as we are about to start the meeting, the clock tower outside struck. Hence the title. Someone was going to bleed. As in: take all the resources that a person or thing has available…. ☹

It struck only once – was that a good sign, or a bad sign?

It reminds me of a poem I wrote as a teenager, while listening to

I wonder about thunder,
When bells chime, it might be the time.
Who might know, who might care
Before God every soul is bare

Please forgive my small belief.
Of reason I was bereaved,
When I realised what it meant,
That this, could be the world's end.

All this despair reminds me of a joke Loni used to tell. Paddy & Murphy went to a costume party, dressed as emotions. Wait, perhaps not suitable for general audience (teehee).

This kind of event happens all the time, to all the people. It represents a choice. You do not have a choice in greeting such news, but you can choose how to react. That whole “Your perception is your reality” kind of vibe.

And its true.

I could have chosen to play drama queen and throw my toys out the cot. This is something I easily do. But on this day, I chose not to. I chose to park it for a minute, and as is nearly always the case, further facts revealed themselves. And the situation may still be dire, but there is also an opportunity to bring about constructive change. I left the meeting feeling like there was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. And what is more, I think there is now more understanding about the point I was trying to reach. As opposed to a poorly understood directive, which would consequently be poorly implemented.

That is the short cut to a long-winded message – I believe that the end goal is more important, than the way you get there. Of course, you cannot head in the opposite direction and expect to get there, but there is more than one way to get there. And its much more fun, and more sustainable, if there are people on the bus with you.

The other part of the mixed bag news is that a company restructure left someone especially important to me, out in the cold. And it is minus degrees outside. At the start of this COVID pandemic, I had visions of us reverting to a barter economy, the financial and government systems collapsing, and eking out an existence in a post-apocalyptic washed up world. So, my opinion, which I continue to share readily, was that entrepreneurship was the solution for us and our children. Kind of:

• What problem can you solve for someone?
• Who will pay for that solution?
• Do you enjoy doing that?

These words are intended to convey the silver lining around the cloud, and convince you that there is always hope, maybe just around the corner.

And big mouth Horn as I must sometimes grudgingly admit, likes to pretend that I am taking on such an uncertain challenge by taking on a new venture by way of living off the land. But I am not all the way there yet. I do not have to be all the way there yet. Tethered to the security blanket of a stable job, albeit in an at-risk industry.

Now I am sharing these words with someone who is important to me. And I have only some, but not all, the experience to share with this person. So, I do not quite know how to convince the person.

But what I do know, is what Captain James T Kirk said, “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, I only know what I can do”. He knows what he can do, and that potential option he shared, is so very very exciting. Imagine solving someone’s furniture and fittings problems, in a way that is unique to them and their circumstances. And connecting through your carefully crafting hands, to a concept coming to life. Flat two-dimensional shapes, being aligned, fitted, planed, polished, and buffed to become that perfect solution to someone’s need.

The future is scary, but by golly, it is exciting!