Heading Eastward Toward the Abyss

02/05/2010

This Southwest aircraft is above the grayness that just minutes ago hung low to the ground and almost prevented this plane from lifting off the runway.  I am going home after nearly a week of a training session for my company’s newest sales reps.

I did not wish to be here; I did not in any way want come here especially to be part of training people.  These days I don’t feel I can contribute much.  The business has radically changed since I last had a sales territory.  Good grief!  It has been over twenty-four years since my stogy body graced the doorstep of a customer as a company sales rep.  You know, way back in the days prior to cell phones and e-mail, and even before fax machines were available.  But, as usual, the more things change the more they stay the same; the only real difference today as opposed to yesteryear is now there are electronic enhancements and it takes a little more youthful hubris than I can conger up. 

The huge thrill of the week for me was being with all these young people.  Watching ten strangers come into a building as individuals and leave as a part of a family – brothers and sisters united to a single cause, that being success.  Each of them enjoyed an epiphany of sorts; I enjoyed one, as well.  I found I am not as out of touch as I thought.  I got to share my experience and experiences with them and I found it attracted their attention, especially when I got out of my head and spoke from the heart.

Now with the week behind me I am heading home.  The weather eastward sucks.  The forecast for the area surrounding Beautiful Downtown Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, population 711 calls for 24” to 30+” of snow.  All of this followed by another storm next week bringing joy to all the little boys and girls of school age, and even me, especially if I cannot get out to go travel to Indiana on Tuesday.  The weather will be what it will be, and I don’t really care if I get stuck, but I can go home with a smile on my face knowing I did my best and that I may have made a difference in someone’s life.

And that is all I have to say about that…