MLG rescued me from a day of pain yesterday and we lunched. It’s good to do this every once in a while, because you get to talk to someone who’s been there, done that, got the same piece of paper you did, looked around and saw that society no longer worked the way all the adults said it would when they told you that of course university was the only way to go because you’d get a job and be set for life.
They lied.
We also talked about getting stuck in a rut, the convincing zombie-like seduction of the status-quo, selling yourself, having tons of knowledge and ability and nowhere obvious to direct it, and taking risks. MLG is one of those people who makes things clear when I talk to him; he’s one of the best sounding boards I know, and he never tells me what to do. (What, never? Well, hardly ever… ;)
He’s also one of the few people I can stand to hear praise from, probably because he never makes it sound like he’s just being nice. When he talks about my accomplishments and talents I can see them for what they are. I need that every once in a while, otherwise I sink into a morass of “I’m useless”. We discussed the need for accomplishment, the drive to produce positive tangible results to assure ourselves that we’re doing something of value, the dread of standing still and not evolving past who we are today. When I’ve spent time talking with MLG, I feel like a human being who should care about herself again. So stand back, world; I have a few things in my life which require rearranging….
