Why, hello again all you dudebros and broads. It's been quite a while since I've written anything, and many of you have been wondering why. Well, to be honest so have I. I really don't have a good answer. I do have several bad ones, though.
Telling anyone who will listen about your job is very tricky when you work for a corporation. Anyone who has worked for an Evil Empire knows what I'm talking about. In this day and age, they are all very strict when it comes to public sharing of information, or even opinions about them, via the social networking media that we have all but integrated into our personal lives. It's very hard to be public and private at the same time. I do my best to stay anonymous and not use specific names, but it's tough.
That anonymity is another problem. While it's fun to complain about co-workers and customers, I have to accept the fact that some of them are following my blog, and making fun of them here would obviously be bad for business and probably elicit heavy repercussions from The Man. While I enjoy telling a funny story at someone else's expense, it's not worth losing a job that has become rather secure. I have many stories to share, but I struggled with keeping them anonymous so frustration eventually got the better of me.
Another problem, and this one is more to the point, is that business was very slow for a long time. I don't know what happened, but the bottom fell out for a good six months. There was no action at all. My drivers were standing around more often than not, and no one was buying anything beyond cheap routine maintenance parts. We were sometimes delivering orders for less than a dollar. It was irritating, frustrating, and embarrassing. It also did not make for good storytelling.
"What hilarious shenanigans were you guys up to today?"
"Oh, the usual. We stood there drinking coffee and not talking to each other until it was time to go home."
Exciting stuff, right? That sort of malaise has a way of virtually eliminating one's joie de vivre. I personally like to seek out the humor in everything. I try not to let a single day go past without having at least one good laugh. Unfortunately, one good laugh does not make for a very interesting blog. So now I finally understand writer's block, and why so many artists only find their muse at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.
Now that the bad excuses are out of the way, I should probably go somewhere with this. Things have really changed since my last post. I'm still a cynical misanthrope, so don't worry about that. Foremost, one of my drivers passed away last year after a short but valiant battle with an aggressive form of cancer. He was a good man who always had a twinkle in his eye and a smart ass comment on his lips. He kept us laughing day in and day out, and we will sorely miss him. Life around here certainly got much more boring after he left us.
I hate to sound insensitive, but this presented a big problem for me logistically. A seasoned veteran was gone, and I had to find a replacement. Being short-handed obviously affects productivity, and our profits suffered even more. I had to replace him, but how do you replace a guy who was as natural as breathing? I am an old guy at heart, and as such am resistant to change. I revel in the status quo, and routine is my comfort food. Bringing in a new person weighed heavy on me. I finally found someone I could live with and hired him. He is working out very well, but...it's not the same. I can't help but feel like we've taken a step backwards. It's like my well-oiled machine had to have a heart transplant, and it kept me awake more nights than I'd care to admit. It's just a stupid job; it really doesn't matter in the grand ol' scheme. At least that's what I tell myself. I guess I just really miss that sly old smart ass.
Thinking about change makes me wonder how quickly we evolve without even realizing it. I know I've written before about how I can't believe I'm a manager who is responsible on a daily basis for quite a bit of money and the safety of 7 employees, but it still doesn't always sink in. I remember the days when I had to ask for help with everything. Now, when I have a big unexpected problem to deal with, I can look back and draw on my own experience to handle it without freaking out.
We've had some pretty big changes in our division recently. Corporate decided to re-align our regional management, and to make a long story short, we have a new boss. It was announced that New Boss was coming to town to inspect all the stores that were now in his domain. While everyone panicked, I got my guys together and we cleaned up our store and made it presentable. On the day my local boss and the New Boss showed up, we were ready. Business went along as usual, and he was very impressed with my store. I later learned that out of all the stores in our area, New Boss commented about how impressed he was with only one store manager. It's flattering to know that you are able to wow someone who is significantly higher up the ladder than you, but it took me a long time to figure out what I did that made me different. I talked to the other managers in the following days and eventually realized something. I was the only one who wasn't afraid of New Boss. I didn't kiss-up, or genuflect, or cower. I went about my business with casual confidence, and learned a valuable lesson: important people are still just people. Moreover, they respect you if you respect them. I'm getting the feeling from my local boss that someday I could be one of them.
I again have to wonder what ever happened to that shy kid who sat in the back of the classroom and never talked to anyone. It seems like a lifetime ago. I guess maybe it was.
Looking back over the past year, I can see that much has changed for me. I've gotten physically healthier, and my living situation has changed for the better, along with my relationship. I'm never been much in favor of making resolutions for a new year, but I really should keep up this damn blog, especially since I have the benefit of starting off 2014 with a clear head. If nothing else, it makes for a nice chronicle of life events and serves as a reminder of how quickly we evolve when we're not thinking about it.
Thanks for being patient with me, loyal readers. I'm glad to be back.
