December 1st

Today’s the two year anniversary of moving to the frozen tundra that is Bemidji, Minnesota. In fact, this December 1st is a lot like December 1, 2009. Winter was making its arrival, checking in at a chilly 18-degrees, but with little to no snow on the ground. I wasn’t sure what to expect of the future, living in a new place with a daunting new project and no people here that I knew all that well. It was a time of uncertainty, a time of questioning, a time of doubt.

Fast forward to day… and it’s a time of uncertainty, a time of questioning, a time of doubt. While 2009 had a clear focus and a vision of what the future would look like; 12/1/11 doesn’t offer that same amount of comfort. I knew I had to hire a staff, and knew the kind of people I wanted to work with me. I knew I had to schedule a facility, and knew the kind of events I thought would be successful in the community. I knew how the facility would look when construction was completed, and knew how I wanted it to look and be perceived on opening day.

Today I don’t know where I’ll be living in the near future. Today I don’t know where (or if) I’ll be working in the near future. Today I don’t know if my 15 years of hard work have been thrown down the toilet or if they’ll be attractive to any of the 25+ hiring managers who have been reviewing them. Today I am unsure of a lot of things and have doubts that something good will come from the decision I made now two months ago.

2009 had a great deal of promise; and for the most part I feel many of those expectations materialized and turned into something good. 2011 has the “potential” for promise. There are many commonalities between these two December 1st's… but the difference is hope. 2009 had plenty of excitement and hope for the future, 2011 right now does not.