Like the rest of the world, I am so ready for this
pandemic to come to an end. I want people
to travel again, to visit family and friends.
I want church to be like it should be with fellowship, hugs and handshakes.
I want to see stadiums filled with cheering fans. Let’s get back to living.
But, with that said, I must admit that I don’t miss the
things that most people have missed during 2020. I have always been a loner. An only child who did not need others for
entertainment. A child who enjoyed playing
with other kids but did not need them. As I grew older, I loved sports and was a good
teammate, but always needed my space. I
need long drives by myself with just music and my thoughts. I need time to read and to sleep, both being the
ultimate escapes for me.
As a student, nothing was more draining for me than “group
projects”. Ok, let’s meet, assign the
tasks and get on with it. Everyone do
their job and we’ll be fine. But that’s
not how it works is it? It always takes
twice as long as it should and is seldom done well. The only people who like group projects are little
dictators, cheerleaders and slackers who have no issue with letting others do
the heavy lifting. The rest of us, even
those who aren’t loners, despise group projects.
As an adult in the business world, one does what one must
do to succeed. And that means meetings and committees and other peoples' problems by the bushel. But, that’s the job. So one compartmentalizes and forges ahead, hopefully,
with at least a few relatively capable and trustworthy people around them.
And now as an even older adult, I have been working
remote for some years. Constantly on the
phone, or emailing, or texting…busy and interacting with a lot of people from
all over the country. I meet more new
people daily than I ever did during my years managing transportation companies.
I like the action, the variety and most
of all I like talking to people about things that really matter…whom they
should hire... or should they go to work for this or that company. Even more I like the fact that no one is standing
at my door. And if the phone rings, most
of the time, I do not have to answer it at that moment. The same for emails and text messages. Usually they can wait, if only for a few
minutes. And, when the day is over no
one is pressing me to go do something, drink something, eat something or
discuss something which is most often pointless and of no consequence.
So, indeed I like my time and my space. It is not a positive trait for anyone aspiring
to high position and a major reason why I “under-achieved” for most of my career.
The ladder is crowded and you cannot
climb it alone. I do not miss the
ladder.
When this pandemic is over they say we will have a new
normal. I think it will look a lot like
the old normal. More people will work from
home, so there may be a bit less traffic for a while. Business travel will be slow to rebound as
companies have discovered that so much of that expensive travel was unnecessary
in the first place. But everything else
will fill up quickly. Holiday, vacation
and weekend travel will explode. Those
restaurants, bars, theaters and assorted other gathering spots that did not go
out of business will be packed with happy patrons. Free at last, free at last.
But, those of us who prefer to walk alone will not be joining
you. So by all means, please celebrate
your happiness and your return to the freedom of gathering and rubbing elbows, nibbling
from one another’s plates, singing, dancing, drinking or praying to the gods
you have chosen. You can have my seat. I will be elsewhere, at a distance, thankful
and quite happy not to be there.
"He liked to get off by himself, a mile or so from camp, and listen to the country, not the men."
-Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove
