I wonder at the people at work

I wonder at the agreeable, and the not so agreeable

What does it mean?

Why does the leader, seek to be a leader

or believe himself to be—Is it credibility—

that once the position is filled, you cannot escape?

You are inside their mold.

I watch them in their blazers and jeans, trying to appear

a cut above the rest—they are neat, and they move quickly

they don’t have time for you

because they believe themselves to be

important.

Feeling annoyed, or frustrated, or anything

is a waste—like it’s not quite real

the people, who work there, aren’t quite real

even though, they spend their lives

in the same place.

They have given-in to the game

and enjoy it

they praise others—to move the light

away

from those who deserve to be in darkness.

There are those to be cared for—and there are those to be ignored

and once-in-awhile

the important people check-in, to see how you are doing

to make sure you are miserable—or at least, reacting, to them

“Are you going to be here next year?”

Most of the adversity we face

in life

is hidden

Most people desperately want others to feel their pain

A co-worker says something nasty

and your response is, “I don’t care!” But do you?

Bitterness must be expunged

You are cleaning up the water on the bathroom floor

and a little piss gets mixed in.

You have worked enough jobs to know—the ones in the past didn’t matter

and this one doesn’t matter

You met a retired leader—while you were on the job

He took two steps back

because of your confidence,

when you said, “I thought you were retired?”

“Well, it turns out, the new guy needs my help.”

When they leave, they want to come back,

but what are they coming back for?

I spoke to a leader who had less than six months left to live

She told me, “I have cancer and I’m going to die.”

“Why did you come back?” I asked.

“They need me.”

Pursuing a purpose beyond other people

is taboo—

it can be other people

but mostly, people don’t know what to do.

When you find your purpose, you can test it, secretly

Do you care about anything beyond it? If you do, your purpose has failed

Your opinion depends, on the winds that don’t care

A hurricane kills 50,000

and nobody bats an eyelash, or demands justice

A man kills a woman, and there’s a public execution

Forces, beyond our control, move us

and the winds cease, when you become a force, yourself

and when your power subsides

you can exhale your breath

on the day of your death

and smile.