As many people now know, I have a job interview in a couple of weeks in northern California. While it seems promising, at this point it is only what it is: an interview with no promise of anything. As such, I’m neither holding my breath nor getting my hopes up. Regardless of what the result of that interview is, life will be difficult for the short term.
The company I work for is having a hard time. I’ve made it through several cutbacks, but the ship is still taking on water and I can’t see how they are going to patch it up. I see decisions being made that I and many others in the company see as wrong. I see people who work hard, bring in value and revenue to the company losing their jobs while other people who contribute less hang on. And yes, I’m being very nice when I say that. I’m a realist. I know I sound pessimistic, but I’m not. I just pay attention. I know who to listen to and who not to. The ship has struck an iceberg and is going down. I don’t care who said it’s unsinkable. Stand on the deck and play your music. I’m looking for a life boat for me and my wife.
If I get an offer and accept, we leave everyone and everything we know behind. Maria has done that once by moving to the US. While I have moved around a lot, I’ve lived most of my life in Tennessee. So taking the offer, should it come up, would mean, for me, giving up the place I know so well and the convenience of seeing my family and friends when I want.
The flip-side of this is that should an offer not be extended, I’m faced with trying to find another way to survive once this ship has gone down. For me and what I do, the only other option is to throw everything I’ve got behind some of the entreprenurial things I’m working on. And yes, I’m already doing that with the help of people I know.
There has been lots of talk about this with our friends. I think some of what has been said has been in jest, and perhaps a way to soften the blow should we move. But I have to say what’s on my mind. I think there’s a serious element of truth enderneath it. I think, to some extent, some people feel like we’re doing this to them…as if we’re intentionally trying to take something dear away from them. That’s not the case at all. As much as it pains me/us to consider the possibility of moving away, I can’t risk jeopardizing our ability to have a place to live, food to eat, etc. Swap places with us. If you were in our situation, what would you do? If you don’t go where the opportunities are, you’re being foolish. Sure, there’s a chance that an opportunity might present itself if I stayed here, but I would be a fool to turn down an offer on the chance I might find something different. A bird in the hand, as they say.
But to think this is the end is also rediculous. Since the dawn of time this world hasn’t been any smaller than it is now. It’s rediculously easy to keep in touch with people thousands of miles away. Maria still stays in touch with her family. They didn’t write each other off when she moved here, nor will we write off anyone IF we move to California or wherever else a job opportunity presented itself. If you’re reading this blog, then you have no excuse not to stay in touch. Relationships can exist over long distances. So please, cheer up. Be happy for us, if for no other reason than we might not have to ask to live in your basement. Nothing about this world is eternal. Things change as life changes. The difference, my friends, is how you look at it. You have the power to see any given situation in a different light. Do you have the desire to do it?