In the economy we are in it is not unusual to see someone cornered by life and the situation. Everyone handles it differently. Some hunker down and focus on surviving, usually in difficult roles that they would otherwise consider leaving. Others are perpetually on a quest for something better. And then there are those who launch out into something new.
There is another alternative. It is a combination of an unwillingness to see combined with desire that things will never change. An observation about the latter came in a meeting with a senior executive recently.
“Just because an ostrich feels good when he sticks his head in a hole in the middle of the road, it does not mean that he will not get run over. He may feel safe, yet it is very likely that he will get hit.”
I found the irony sadly funny because it described several situations over the past six years. There is no question that the world has gotten tougher. We cannot shake our sense of economic uncertainty. Company loyalty is a distant memory, for everyone. Even if you are alert with eyes wide open, you can be hit on the blind side. Nothing can or should be taken for granted.
I can think of friends that are willing to talk about the darkness that overwhelms. They spoken and unspoken prayer follows the words of David; “If you don’t show up soon, I’m done for – gored by the bulls, meat for the lions.” (Psalm 22.21) The question I am always left with is the next. What comes next?
I have no clichés or answers to offer. I can share the observations I hold onto in my life.
Whatever has happened, whatever might be, we only have the moment at hand. The next is found here. One must be in order to do.
As dark as yesterday was, hope is still here. It may be hard to see, grasp, or even recognize, but it is in the moment.
In the moment at hand, compassion and love are weapons of choice.
