Other Dribblings: Day 145 - Transition

Heads,

I attended last week’s networking session at WorkSource. This has been a great resource. They try to get a guest speaker each week, but this week for some unknown reason he didn’t make it. Not to worry, the organizers broke us into small groups to improve our networking. We went around the table introduced ourselves, gave a little background and then explained what we were looking for. Those that had written their elevator speeches could try them out. We spent about 20 minutes per table and switched tables for a total of three rounds.

What struck me, well maybe scared me is a better word, was the number of people that had been out of work for 1 1/2 years or more. At first, I thought, well maybe I can detect something wrong with them. Something that would explain we they were out of work so long. But that isn’t what going on here. These were all outstanding people, caught up in this economic turmoil. One gal added a few months because she needed to take care of her parents, other than that I didn’t find that magic “Oh, that explains it.” They were all normal people, with families, wanting to work, looking for work, and not able to find it.

Years ago Boeing used the layoff cycle to get rid of dead wood, people so down trodden by the large corporate system that they have given up. I remember years ago coming into work and seeing people bring a newspaper or Wall Street Journal in and then proceed to read it from cover to cover. Their jobs only needed their attention part of the day. Many of these jobs had been built into the system this way or had changed as new technology came on board. It was these types of jobs that earned Boeing the name Lazy B. Through many years of re-organization after re-organization, cut after cut, these jobs all disappeared. Now each round of cuts is deep. The march of technology and productivity continues to cut deeper.

Before I was laid off, I thought I was immune to the cuts. Boy was I living in “la la land”. I have friends I know that were laid off from Boeing, some have been looking for work much longer than I have. I have been looking for over 4 months, not counting the pre-layoff looking and I keep thinking that the right position is right around the corner. Keep thinking that the economic recovery is just around the corner.

Now, I’m wondering if I have still have my head in “la la land”. The idea of going another year or more looking for work is chilling to think about. I wonder what the ramifications for my family will be. I wonder how deeply the cuts will be, and how long the wounds will take to heal. And I wonder about my fortitude to get through this.

These thoughts tend to take me out of the here and now, and make me worry about the future that is guaranteed to different than my thoughts about it.

The Flip Side,

A friend just found work. He had been looking for over 16 months. He found a great job working with a great organization. After thinking about it, he was thankful for all the time he had spent looking. It may not have been what he wanted but looking back it was what he needed.

Others have said the same. While they wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and they wouldn’t want to have to go through it again, all the same, it was a time that they wouldn’t give up and was important in the growth it provided.

Trying times are like this; the spirit works in nontraditional ways. When times are good and everything is happening along the lines of our expectations, it is like we fall asleep somewhere along the way or get lazy in our ability to stay focused. Trying times aren’t the times that we hope for, but they wake us up and can be a time of tremendous growth, especially spiritually.

So in this way, I look forward to the trials and tribulations that are here and coming around the corner. Not for martyrdom or mortification, but for the opportunity to grow, to become deeper in spirit.

This leads me to thoughts about how I can best use this time for this growth. My feeling is that what ever preconceived thoughts about where and how this growth will happen will be wrong. So the best answer I have come up with is to try to remain present; to try to see and understand all that is happening and then to deeply reflect upon it. And through this reflection, try to become a better person—try to become a better husband, father, brother, and friend.

I gave 22 years toiling at Boeing and I toiled for several years before Boeing. When all is said and done, this interruption, this pause between the in breath and out breath, will be but a passing moment in a long life. A passing moment that holds the promise of great growth.

The idea behind footprints in the sand is of great comfort to me. More than once in my life I felt carried through times when hope was lost. And each time, I came out the other side stronger and more thankful.