It's becoming a strange and interesting and generally very enjoyable year. It started badly mind you.
I've been working in this job for almost 10 years. I've been working in this field since I left school, so that'll be 25 years this year (showing my age - more on that in a moment). My career is 5 years longer in the tooth than Uncle Tim's world wide web, and almost the same age as the Internet itself. In this time, I have firmly come to believe in what I refer to as "the rule of 7's". What this seems to mean is that my life is tied to a 7-year cycle. Let me explain.... I don't recall what the major events in my life at the age of 7 and at 14 were, but I have no doubt that they existed.
Perhaps if I believed in re-incarnation, 7 years might be the point that the memories from my previous lifespan are finally blanked from this one. After-all, historically there have been many examples of children reportedly having knowledge of events before their birth that they could only know if they'd experienced them first hand. I do remember at some point seeing a documentary about a young boy, possibly around 4 or 5 years old, living in India I think, who had very vivid visions (or you might say memories) of his life as a young adult and even how he had died - a road accident if I remember correctly.
Perhaps 7 years is just where we get to make our choices... To take a path.. I don't know. I'm merely surmising and I can see how it maps to my life thus far. There may be nothing in it, or it might be the meaning of life.
Douglas Adams had the meaning of life defined as "42". That is the answer. Interesting that he should choose a number directly devisable by 7, but let's not get carried away - probably just a coincidence - if you believe in that kind of thing.
Where was I? So 7 and 14 or 1976 and 1983, just to really give it away. I don't know what the "thing" was there, but at 21 (1990) I was promoted - well I was noticed - and I made the rash decision to get married. So began a new chapter. Time passed and all was relatively well in my world.
And then, 7 years later at 28 (1997), I got divorced and began my fourth chapter. Once again it involved a change of job (although not career) and I travelled the northern hemisphere until settling (mostly) for London.
At 35 it was all change again for chapter 5. An "agreement" meant that I joined the company I now work for and I had been in the same role since day one - a period of, you guessed it, 7 years. 2004 was also the year that I met the beautiful Mrs G. We got married in 2005 and I really am as happy as I could ever hope to be. I'm sure I annoy her intensely at times, but this is the way of things. I don't doubt her and she doesn't doubt me, even if I don't always remember to put the washing on the line. :D
Now, those of you that can add up will be aware that this year - 2011 - marks my 42nd year on board spaceship mother earth and so, if there's anything to my theory, the beginning of chapter 6.
Sure enough a change if job is where it's all been at so far this year. I've not travelled outside of the country with work since 35 And here I am 36,000 feet up in the air in a tin can on my way to the good ole' U S of A on a business trip. If you'd told me this was going to happen 12 months ago, I'd have said you were mad. 
At the end of last year I was really not enjoying where my career was. It was ugly work. Work that didn't inspire me or make me want to get out of bed in the morning. Not a happy place to be. I started looking around for something new. I had a couple of "irons in the fire" as the saying goes and this opportunity came up internally. A generally similar role - but a different department.
I threw caution to the wind and applied and was accepted. Just to really finish me off in the previous role, a nameless sole really stuck the boot in on my way out of the door. I'm over it, and it taught me a lesson in trust.
More importantly I've started chapter 6 and so far it is without doubt - in the parlance of our times - awesome. Who knows what will happen when I turn 49 (2018) assuming I get that far, but it's bound to be fun finding out. For the time being I have 9 years of not being on the cemetery side of semi century, which will happen in chapter 7 and there's bound to be more velocity and less verbosity, from here on in.
Just to round off this rather self indulgent and pretentious post... I'm in Boston for a week. I have much to listen to and some to do. A presentation in front of 180 folks. I'm daunted and excited at the same time. I've done it before, back in chapter 4 so I'm sure I can do it again. I've also got a shopping list from daughter, Mrs G might miss me :D, and Pooh and his clan are on a well deserved holiday - so everything must be right with the world.... Until next time. Stay safe, have fun.
This post originally appeared here: Posterous
I've been working in this job for almost 10 years. I've been working in this field since I left school, so that'll be 25 years this year (showing my age - more on that in a moment). My career is 5 years longer in the tooth than Uncle Tim's world wide web, and almost the same age as the Internet itself. In this time, I have firmly come to believe in what I refer to as "the rule of 7's". What this seems to mean is that my life is tied to a 7-year cycle. Let me explain.... I don't recall what the major events in my life at the age of 7 and at 14 were, but I have no doubt that they existed.
Perhaps if I believed in re-incarnation, 7 years might be the point that the memories from my previous lifespan are finally blanked from this one. After-all, historically there have been many examples of children reportedly having knowledge of events before their birth that they could only know if they'd experienced them first hand. I do remember at some point seeing a documentary about a young boy, possibly around 4 or 5 years old, living in India I think, who had very vivid visions (or you might say memories) of his life as a young adult and even how he had died - a road accident if I remember correctly.
Perhaps 7 years is just where we get to make our choices... To take a path.. I don't know. I'm merely surmising and I can see how it maps to my life thus far. There may be nothing in it, or it might be the meaning of life.
Douglas Adams had the meaning of life defined as "42". That is the answer. Interesting that he should choose a number directly devisable by 7, but let's not get carried away - probably just a coincidence - if you believe in that kind of thing.
Where was I? So 7 and 14 or 1976 and 1983, just to really give it away. I don't know what the "thing" was there, but at 21 (1990) I was promoted - well I was noticed - and I made the rash decision to get married. So began a new chapter. Time passed and all was relatively well in my world.
And then, 7 years later at 28 (1997), I got divorced and began my fourth chapter. Once again it involved a change of job (although not career) and I travelled the northern hemisphere until settling (mostly) for London.
At 35 it was all change again for chapter 5. An "agreement" meant that I joined the company I now work for and I had been in the same role since day one - a period of, you guessed it, 7 years. 2004 was also the year that I met the beautiful Mrs G. We got married in 2005 and I really am as happy as I could ever hope to be. I'm sure I annoy her intensely at times, but this is the way of things. I don't doubt her and she doesn't doubt me, even if I don't always remember to put the washing on the line. :D
Now, those of you that can add up will be aware that this year - 2011 - marks my 42nd year on board spaceship mother earth and so, if there's anything to my theory, the beginning of chapter 6.
Sure enough a change if job is where it's all been at so far this year. I've not travelled outside of the country with work since 35 And here I am 36,000 feet up in the air in a tin can on my way to the good ole' U S of A on a business trip. If you'd told me this was going to happen 12 months ago, I'd have said you were mad.
At the end of last year I was really not enjoying where my career was. It was ugly work. Work that didn't inspire me or make me want to get out of bed in the morning. Not a happy place to be. I started looking around for something new. I had a couple of "irons in the fire" as the saying goes and this opportunity came up internally. A generally similar role - but a different department.
I threw caution to the wind and applied and was accepted. Just to really finish me off in the previous role, a nameless sole really stuck the boot in on my way out of the door. I'm over it, and it taught me a lesson in trust.
More importantly I've started chapter 6 and so far it is without doubt - in the parlance of our times - awesome. Who knows what will happen when I turn 49 (2018) assuming I get that far, but it's bound to be fun finding out. For the time being I have 9 years of not being on the cemetery side of semi century, which will happen in chapter 7 and there's bound to be more velocity and less verbosity, from here on in.
Just to round off this rather self indulgent and pretentious post... I'm in Boston for a week. I have much to listen to and some to do. A presentation in front of 180 folks. I'm daunted and excited at the same time. I've done it before, back in chapter 4 so I'm sure I can do it again. I've also got a shopping list from daughter, Mrs G might miss me :D, and Pooh and his clan are on a well deserved holiday - so everything must be right with the world.... Until next time. Stay safe, have fun.
This post originally appeared here: Posterous
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