Step Back, Jack

 During Zoom Time I've amused myself by putting different whimsical screen names under my image.  Some are whimsical only if you ignore the kernel of truth in each of them.  Last week it was Self-Righteous Steve and this week I logged in as Swimming Against the Current Steve.  Here's the kernel of truth: I have been swimming against a strong, icy current with the Keep It Complicated group.  I was so proud of myself, bringing up my distaste for the hybrid meeting format, throwing in some humor and self-deprecation and showing an awareness for why some members might disagree with me, and doing this after checking in with some folks who have come once or twice and then disappeared or have not bothered to even check it out once.  I felt a groundswell of victorious support welling up.

Yesterday I mulled over the strong possibility that the Zoom only participants are going to want to weigh in and I understood how that was going to go. There are a lot more electronic attendees than personal ones.  Then, at one of my regular Zoom meetings yesterday I spoke with a woman who is firmly in the "let's not do anything and see what happens" camp - she flatly disagreed with me in a manner that left open no possibility of compromise.  And there was also a guy there who only attends the Zoom portion and I could see that he was barely listening to what I was saying.  Neither of them had a tiny modicum of interest in my proposal.

I realized I was cooked.  I could see the handwriting on the wall and it's in thick, red, permanent Magic Marker.  Even disinterested SuperK could see that there was no give from either of these people.  I've lived a life characterized by change - I've lived in several cities in several states; I've traveled to almost every state; and I've been all over the world.  Clearly, I don't like static things.  I'm an agitator for change.  I'm not a patient-waiter.  This is neither good or bad - I believe the world needs promoters and it needs patient-waiters.  I'm much better at patient waiting today but it's just not who I am.  I don't like something I try something else.  If it's not as good I don't give a shit - I'm always glad I gave it a whirl.  In most things I believe it's a lot easier to stay with the old way of doing things than it is to envision how things might worked out with more adventuresome action, especially when they could possibly, maybe get worse.

I was pissed, so pissed I could barely concentrate on the meeting.  I actually wrote a couple of pages with the obvious, glaring outcome being I have to step away from the group for a while.  Things need to work out without my agitation.  Most of the regular attendees don't welcome the change are of the mind that patient waiting is the best course.  I'm also aware that the people who don't like the current state of affairs won't attend the business meeting.

SuperK: "You need to give that group a rest."  

All my writing led me to the conclusion that I need to give that group a rest.  This is one of those situations where I don't need to check in with any of my guys.  I can see a slaughter coming.