This is a bittersweet week for my wife and me. We say goodbye this week to our two oldest sons as they head to college—Number One heads back to Los Angeles for his sophomore year, and Number Two is off to Virginia to begin his college adventure. I read an article by columnist Michael Gershon in the Washington Post that both captured the process and reduced me to a puddle.
This week a former ABMP team member stopped by for a visit, and it was yet another reminder how change in our lives is constant. She arrived at our offices 11 years ago, a single mother in her early twenties; she visited us a successful woman in her mid-thirties with a couple kids and an impressive job. She grew up, and hopefully her experience with us helped her along the way. That she valued her time with us enough to come back to visit is a point of pride. I hope I can repeat those two sentences about my children.
Our adult life is like a train; there are starts and stops along the way, and people get on and off as we go. Our work environments are like that as well. Colleagues and clients move in and out of our professional experiences, and sometimes that can break our hearts, maybe even feel like a step back. Ultimately, as the song says, the train keeps a-rollin’, all night long.
Or like The Dude says at the end of The Big Lebowski, “Yeah man. Well, you know, the Dude abides.”
Here’s to appreciating the ride while it lasts.