The other day my buddy GL Hoffman sent me an email inviting me to be a guest over at his site, What Would Dad Say. It just so happened I was right in the middle of writing yet another Sidewalk Series post, and coincidentally enough it just happened to fit right in with the general theme over there.

Naturally, I jumped at the chance to escape the box for a bit.

What’s it about, you ask? Well, it’s about this tree…

Oh, and I give you 5 things I learned about job hunting in today’s world. (Along with a story, of course. What would I do if I couldn’t tell stories? I’m tellin’ ya; my head would probably explode!)

Hey, why not jump on over the GL’s place and take a look? And don’t forget to say “Howdy!”

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Photo: Need a Little Help, by Robert Hruzek

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Today is the day we all find out who the winner of our first-ever What I Learned From… Contest (sound of crowd cheering) and I’m tellin’ ya folks, the excitement is building!

First I’d like to thank a fellow Bubba, Mr. Chris Garrett who, completely out of the blue, Tweeted me a while back and kindly donated 5 copies of his and Darren Rowse’s book, Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income. What a guy!

So a big ol’ tip o’ the Middle Zone Stetson to ya, Chris!

Now, before I announce the winner, once again here’s a list of the entries (mine were left out because, well, you know).

1. What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by by Nancy Kourmalis at Treasures of Darkness
2. Taking Time to Notice What is Around You, by Jackie Cameron at Jackie Cameron – Coaching and Communication
3. What I Learned From… a Sidewalk, by Linda at E-flections of an Educator
4. Lessons From the Top of the Stairs, by Terro at Plum Duff
5. What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Chris Dawson at cdawson
6. Shakin’ What You Got, by Rich Bordner at Pugnatious Irishman
7. Move, move… You’re Stepping on My Sidewalk, by Meryl Evans at meryl.net
8. What I Learn From the Footpath, by Kristin Milton at On the end of my rope
9. A Gift From Our Driveway, by Jean Browman at Cheerful Monk
10. What I Learned From a Pavement Conversation, by Joanna Young at Confident Writing
11. The Writing on the Sidewalk, by Ulla Hennig at Ulla’s Hennig’s Weblog
12. Pounding the Pavement is One Tough Way to Sell, by Brad Shorr at Word Sell, Inc.
13. Sidewalk Surprises, by Karen Swim at Words for Hire
14. What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Paul Merrill at Paul Merrill
15. What I Learned From a Sidewalk… sortof, by Karen Hanrahan at Best of Mother Earth
16. What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Jon Swanson at Levite Chronicles
17. Take a Walk? By Deb Brown at Deb Works
18. Sidewalk Lessons, by Annie at Hope42Day’s Blog
19. Lessons From a Sidewalk: Form Without Function – Message Without Meaning, by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
20. The Dark Side… Walk, by Randal W. O’Rourke at Pinhole’s Blog
21. What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Annalyn Jusay at Ajay’s Writings on the Wall
22. Writing Lessons From the Sidewalk, by Terry Heath at Terry Heath
23. Affirmation of Faith, by HS at On the Horizon
24. What I’ve Learned From the Sidewalk Adventures, by Scott at The Ever-Changing Thought

Now, you’ll notice the list is numbered now, right? So, to choose a winner, I went to www.random.org, set up a random integer sequence, pushed the button (sound of drumroll), and -

The winner is NUMBER 4: Lessons From the Top of the Stairs, by Terro, who writes at Plum Duff. (You can see the winning number by clicking on the image on the left there.)

Congratulations, Terro! Drop me an email with your mailing address and I’ll tie your copy of the Problogger book to my trusty carrier pidgeon, Ralph, for a very special delivery!

Thanks for joining us this month, y’all! Next month, yet another copy of the book will be given away (I’m gonna keep goin’ until I run out of books), so be sure and drop by on the first Monday of the month!

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Howdy, y’all!

A big ol’ yee-haw (sound of yee-haw!) and a round of applause (sound of applause) for all you wonderfully talented and incredibly fine-looking writers (my story and I’m stickin’ to it!) who joined us for this month’s slightly unusual group writing project: What I Learned From… a Sidewalk

Yup;  I admit it may have been a tad more of a challenge than usual; after all, you might have had to exercise a brain cell or two for this one! (Just kiddin’, y’all!) But I truly do appreciate you sharing your stories (and more importantly, your lessons learned) with the rest of us. For this month, we had a total of 32 entries! (sound of crowd cheering enthusiastically)

Hey, don’t forget this month’s WILF is a contest, too! That’s right; I’ll be drawing one lucky winner from all the entries (except, of course, mine) who will receive a copy of Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett’s book, Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income. (Tune in tomorrow for the winner!)

Now, for your edification you’ll find each and every entry listed below (in no particular order, other than it’s how I found ‘em). Do yourself a favor and check ‘em all out. Heck, why not do something really out of the ordinary – why not drop by the authors’ blogs and start a conversation, why don’cha?

You just may be glad you did!

• What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by by Nancy Kourmalis at Treasures of Darkness
• Taking Time to Notice What is Around You, by Jackie Cameron at Jackie Cameron – Coaching and Communication
• What I Learned From… a Sidewalk, by Linda at E-flections of an Educator
• Lessons From the Top of the Stairs, by Terro at Plum Duff
• What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Chris Dawson at cdawson
• Shakin’ What You Got, by Rich Bordner at Pugnacious Irishman
• Move, move… You’re Stepping on My Sidewalk, by Meryl Evans at meryl.net
• What I Learn From the Footpath, by Kristin Milton at On the end of my rope
• A Gift From Our Driveway, by Jean Browman at Cheerful Monk
• What I Learned From a Pavement Conversation, by Joanna Young at Confident Writing
• The Writing on the Sidewalk, by Ulla Hennig at Ulla’s Hennig’s Weblog
• Pounding the Pavement is One Tough Way to Sell, by Brad Shorr at Word Sell, Inc.
• Sidewalk Surprises, by Karen Swim at Words for Hire
• What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Paul Merrill at Paul Merrill
• What I Learned From a Sidewalk… sortof, by Karen Hanrahan at Best of Mother Earth
• What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Jon Swanson at Levite Chronicles
• Take a Walk? By Deb Brown at Deb Works
• Sidewalk Lessons, by Annie at Hope42Day’s Blog
• Lessons From a Sidewalk: Form Without Function – Message Without Meaning, by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
• The Dark Side… Walk, by Randal W. O’Rourke at Pinhole’s Blog
• What I Learned From a Sidewalk, by Annalyn Jusay at Ajay’s Writings on the Wall
• Writing Lessons From the Sidewalk, by Terry Heath at Terry Heath
• Affirmation of Faith, by HS at On the Horizon
• What I Learned From the Sidewalk Adventures, by Scott at The Ever-Changing Thought
  

And last, but hopefully not least, here’s the Sidewalk Series entries to date from yours truly:

• Outstanding in Your Field, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
• From There to Here, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
• Reflections, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
• The Shadow, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
• The S.H.I.N.E. Syndrome, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
• Cut! by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
• Squished! by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings
• The Path Not Taken, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings

Y’all give yourselves a big hand, my friends; once again you’ve outdone yourselves! As always, a big ol’ tip o’ the hat to ya!

Don’t forget, y’all -drop by tomorrow when I’ll announce the winner of a free copy of Problogger! And then plan to join us next month for the next What I Learned From… project.

What’s the topic going to be, you ask? Well… now that would be tellin’!

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

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Today’s thought is a short one – I think. (Hey, you never know with me!)

OK, so I was moseying along my sidewalk the other day, mindin’ my own business, when lo and behold, I come across this side path (see the photo below). It’s different from the more permanent sidewalk in that it’s simply a gravel path – albeit a nicely groomed one. I dunno; somehow the use of gravel rather than concrete suggests it’s merely an alternative instead of the recommended way to get where you’re goin’, if you get my meanin’.

Whenever you run across an alternative path, it raises some serious questions, doesn’t it? Do you take the less-than-perfect path? Where will it lead? Is it risky? Why is it not made of a more permanent substance? Does that suggest it’s not the, y’know, right way? Which way do most other folks go? And a multitude of others.

(OK, I know it’s just a short path across a lawn. Try to work with me here, won’t you? I’m exercisin’ what’cha might call my poetic license, serial # 92-B39ZC, issued by the State of Insanity.)

The Road Taken – or Not

Have you ever taken an alternative path in your life? I have. Sometimes I freely chose to go in a different direction. Every now and then I had it, um, thrust upon me, if you follow me. Sometimes the path led to a, well, less than optimal situation. Other times, I ended up in a far better place than I had envisioned at the beginning.

The thing is, each time a choice is made, then opportunity comes along with it. It’s up to us to make the most of it, whether we chose that particular course – or not. It ain’t always as easy takin’ the clean, concrete, well-marked path as you would think. Sometimes, the less-travelled path is actually the better one – for you.

In any case, I’m just sayin’, y’all; there may be opportunity out there, if you’re lookin’ for it. But if you don’t take the alternative course – if you continue to cling to the nice, neat path that was created for you by someone else – you may just miss it!

Is it time to take a risk?

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Photo: Gravel Path, by Robert Hruzek

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Note from the Proprietor: This is also an entry for this month’s What I Learned From… groupwrite project. If you’d like to join the fun, just click on that link and read all about it. Everyone is welcome – you may even win a free prize!

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

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When facing worry, fear and doubt; run in circles, scream and shout!

- A “less than optimum” formula for facing troubled times

First of all, lemme just say, er, sorry for the, um, slightly disgusting photo there. But it IS something I found on my daily trek on the sidewalk… Besides, it speaks volumes to me (not that I’m in the habit of, um, listening to dead insects… or dead anything, for that matter).

Anyhoo…

Show of hands: How many times have you ever felt like the unfortunate little critter in the photo here – when life has turned around and pretty much flattened you like a big ol’ ten-ton bag of steaming donkey poo? Yep; thought so. [Note from the Proprietor: I assure you, the use of donkey poo and its implied political commentary was entirely accidental! But I think I'll leave it.]

Hey, I know what it’s like; I’ve been there too.

A Thankless Job

About 8 years ago, I spent an entertaining three months on a project in Taiwan. Then upon my return, I worked for the same company at their office in Dallas, Texas for yet another three months before it finally ended. (When you’re a contract employee, in some ways it’s a thankless job because getting laid off is the usual way a project ends. In a way, you sorta get immune to it after a while, although it’s never exactly fun.)

Now, whenever that sorta thing happened, I’d immediately switch to “job search mode”. You know what I mean, don’t you? Update resumes, make phone calls, pestering everybody in contact your network – you know; throwin’ all the usual things up against the wall to see what sticks. To my surprise, though, instead of a few days off, followed by a new job – my, er, “utilizationally-challenged” days began to stretch out into weeks. Gradually, weeks turned into months, and the months (sound of despondent sobbing) turned into – you guessed it – years.

I’m not kidding folks, it was almost 4 years to the day when I picked up my briefcase (er, figuratively speaking – I don’t normally carry a briefcase to work) and headed back to work again! And trust me when I say, that was a loooooooonnnnnnnnggggg four years!

I’ll tell ya; countless times during those years I experienced more than my fair share of confusion, frustration, aggravation – not to mention quite a few other -tion’s as well. And more than once I felt exactly like our little buddy la cucaracha up there.

You know, the problem with this sort of feeling is – it often leaves you thinkin’ you’re the only one in the whole world. You know what I mean, right? The “poor me” pattern. The “why does this hafta happen to me” malaise. The “nobody knows the trouble I seen” sob story.

No doubt about it; bein’ on the receivin’ end of life’s unpleasant surprises is a sure fire recipe for self-pity, self-doubt, and loneliness.

Oh, Woe is Poor, Poor Me!

There once was this guy named Elijah. (Hey, that sounds like the start of a limerick, doesn’t it?)

Now, this guy was a relatively unique individual – an Old Testament prophet. He was a crusty ol’ fellah, and probably wore your typical prophet’s robe cut from rough cloth since he lived out in the wilderness. His job was to proclaim God’s word boldly and with fervor in the face of the bad guys – I mean, he was pretty much the epitome of what folks thought of when they thought of the word, “prophet”.

One time, while confronting a particular evil king and queen (Ahab and Jezebel – history tells us they were the absolute worst ones ever), he challenged their entire priesthood of the false god called Baal to a sortof “wild west” showdown, just to prove who’s God was the Real Thing.

So Baal’s priests built an altar – then Elijah built an altar. They put a sacrifice on theirs – and he put one on his, too. Then just for the heck of it, he had them pour water all over his altar’s wood to make it impossible to burn.

Then the priests prayed to Baal to call fire from heaven and prove their worth. (This is from 2 Kings, Chapter 1, in case you’d like to check it out.) Alas for them, nothing happened. (Musta had a wrong number?)

Finally, after several hours of this nonsense, Elijah prayed to God, and not only did fire come streaming down from heaven to his altar, it also consumed the stones of the altar, the water, Baal’s priests’ altar – and by the way, all of Baal’s priests, too!

Now, you’d think, with this kind of affirmation backin’ you up, you’d have a little confidence in your God, wouldn’t you?

Oddly enough, it didn’t – quite – turn out that way!

Immediately after this truly eye-popping event, Queen Jezebel got so angry that she turned several shades of red, then threatened the life of our hero Elijah (you know, the same guy who just totally, er, toasted the Queen’s private army of priests) and what did he do? Stand up boldly and call her out? Stride up to her and slap her silly? Spit in her eye?

Well… uh, not exactly! Instead of standing up to her, he turned and ran for his life, hiding in a cave as far away as he could get. Then he cried out to God that he was the only one to suffer as much humiliation as he, and to please take him to heaven now, thank you very much, so he wouldn’t have to face that evil whack job Jezebel!

Well, I don’t know about you, but that just seems too weird! Here he was, the genuine, bona-fide winner in the “my God is bigger than your god” contest, and this is how he acts? I mean, c’mon!

Well, God let Elijah stew in his own self-pitying juices for awhile, then told him that, not only was he not alone, but that there are over 700 others “out there” who followed God – and that he should stop feelin’ so sorry for himself. In other words, “You ain’t alone, Bubba, so get up off your sorry butt and get back to work!”

You’re Not Alone!

The fact is, no matter how you feel, you’re really not alone. And I wasn’t either. All I had to do was – turn my focus outward instead of inward in order to find other folks just like me!

Understand, now, I don’t mean, “there’s lotsa other folks sufferin’ like you are”. No, what I mean is, there are others out there with whom you have something in common – now go find them and see what you can do for ‘em!

The truth is, when I spend time thinkin’ about my own woes, well, it’s a sure-fire way to end up depressed. But when I focus on others – be the lovely Mrs. MZM, my friends, or whoever – hey, as long as it wasn’t, y’know, all about me, then things started lookin’ up.

Oh, don’t get me wrong; it still took four years to get another job. It’s just that, once I learned to think about others instead of myself, the time just somehow passed quicker. Amazing how that works – but there it is.

I’m just sayin’.

Bonus Round

p.s. For some strange reason, the idea of an actual limerick somehow stuck in my brain for a few days, and lo and behold, one actually materialized! So as an added bonus, I give you…

Elijah’s Limerick

God spoke through a guy named Elijah
To Ahab, said, “Just can’t abide ya!
I’ll call down the fire;
Roast your priests on a pyre;
And you’ll know, when I’m done, Who’s the Higher!”

(Note: To make it rhyme properly, you have to use a distinctive New York State accent. The words “fire”, “pyre” and “higher” are all spoken like this: “fi-ah”, “py-ah”, and “high-ah”.)

Hey, I never said it was a good limerick.

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Photo: Squished! by Robert Hruzek

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Note from the Proprietor: This is also an entry for this month’s What I Learned From… groupwrite project. If you’d like to join the fun, just click on that link and read all about it. Everyone is welcome – you may even win a free prize!

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Yee-haw, y’all; hey, it’s that time of the month once again here in the Middle Zone! No, not that, ya big galoot! Nope; it’s time for this month’s edition of What I Learned From…

And this time I have, right here in my hot little hands, a FREE PRIZE for one lucky participant! (sound of crowd cheering) But… you’ll have to read the whole post for details.

OK; unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably noticed the ongoing series of posts here at the Zone I’ve titled Scenes From a Sidewalk, right? Well, to tell you the truth, when I first began, I figured there’d be only a few posts come out of it. Well, guess I should have had a little more faith in my ideas, y’know?

Since then, it’s sorta taken on a life of its own. Every day some new thing catches my eye, generating lesson after lesson! As a matter of fact, I’ve got a whole slew of posts just cryin’ to be posted! (And I’ll tell ya; all that whinin’ and cryin’ is startin’ to get to me!)

Then my friend Joanna Young made a really intriguing suggestion. (Probably while she was munching on the wrong end of a pizza. But I’m over that, Joanna. Really.) I’ll tell ya; it was as if the clouds suddenly parted, a bright light shone down on me from above, and the angels started singing!

Her comment: This might make a great What I Learned From… topic! So I says to myself, Self, let’s do it!

So that’s your topic for this month’s project!

What I Learned From a Sidewalk

You know that old saying about taking the time to stop and smell the roses? Well, that’s the idea behind this month’s project.

I want you to think about the places you go, the people you see, and the journeys you take every day. Do you go… down the stairs? … down the street? … down the hatch? … down the tubes? Hey, I want to know what you discover on your trip down the figurative sidewalk. (OK; I know not everybody calls a sidewalk a sidewalk. Some folks, as Joanna pointed out, call it pavement. Go figure!)

Or maybe where you live there’s no concrete at all, but beaten paths. Hey, it could even be a hallway or corridor or in your workplace, a frequently-driven route to the grocery store, or whatever! The point is, on a common journey you take often – maybe even every day – there are lessons to be learned all around you!

So, I want you to pick a spot, stop, and take a genuine, in-depth look around you. (And PLEASE don’t do this while you’re, y’know, driving!) Now, pick something that just sorta speaks to you. Is there something; some scene, object or incident that catches your eye? Does it tickle your fancy? Remind you of something? Spark a lesson or example of something interesting?

OK, now all you have to do is write a post about what you learned from it!

New for WILF! FREE Prize This Month!

As I mentioned up there at the top, I have a fresh, totally new, and guaranteed unread copy of Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett‘s book, Problogger to give away (with thanks to Chris Garrett for the generous offer of several promotional copies). Hey, if you’ve ever considered tryin’ to make a living as a blogger, this is a must-read, y’all!

So, just to make this month’s project more interesting… one lucky and randomly-chosen participant will win a free copy! (sound of crowd cheering) (Don’t worry; if you don’t win one this time, there’ll be more over the next several months!)

Here’s How to Enter

Hey, you know the drill. Like I said; you can pretty much write anything you like, as long as it illustrates a lesson (or lessons) learned. Be specific. Be non-specific. And, since I never impose a restriction on length, be as eloquent as you like. But most of all, be yourself – and write something!

The contest is open from now thru Sunday, March 8, at midnight (that’s midnight to me, which is GMT-6 time), so write your post(s) (yes, you can enter more than once!), and send me the links! I’ll post the entire list of entries on Monday, March 9, and I’ll announce the winner of the Problogger book on Tuesday, March 10.

And let’s not forget the details…

1. Write a new post (or more than one) on your blog with a link to THIS POST (uh, the one you’re reading now). As I said, feel free to be as eloquent (or concise) as you like. C’mon; show off for us!
2. Send me an email (rhruzek@sbcglobal.net) containing your name, the title of your post, and the permalink of the post. (To make sure I don’t miss it.)

That’s all there is to it! Next Monday, March 9, I will post the entire list of entries right here at the Middle Zone, so be sure and drop by to check ‘em all out.

As always, we have just two simple rules around here:

• For the sake of the general blogging audience, please keep it G-Rated. (Also please note: this is a request, not a demand, since after all it’s your blog and you can do what you want. Fair warning: I can choose to link to you or not.)
• Be nice.

All right, ladies and gentlemen; you know what to do! Grab the writing instrument of your choice and start writing!

[Note from the Proprietor - I realize it takes a little time to write your entries, but would you mind too terribly not waiting until midnight on Sunday night, March 8, to notify me? Sometimes it can be difficult to get them all compiled by Monday's 6 am post time! I surely thank you, and as a token of my appreciation - have yourself a cookie!]

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“Sidewalk” image created by Spell With Flickr

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

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As with most of our professional office buildings these days (at least, the ones here in Houston), the entrances to ours are festooned with neatly planted beds filled with a veritable plethora of colorful flowering and decorative plants. Let’s see… there’s an interesting hedge covered in cute little pink thingies, some decorative cabbages, lots of those colorful flowers we call snapdragons… and rows and rows of irises.

To be honest, I truly enjoy seeing these colorful reminders of God’s creativity as I mosey back and forth on my favorite sidewalk. But what’s most interesting is watching how they slowly transform themselves over the seasons. In the spring, of course, you can see the biggest bounty of color. But other seasons have their own special characteristics as well.

One day, though, I was faced with something of a shocking discovery. As you can see from the photo here, all my beloved irises had been ruthlessly chopped back to a nub. I’m tellin’ ya; I was deeply offended! Now what spawn of Satan would do such an unspeakable and coldhearted act?

(Sorry ’bout the quality of the photos this time – for some reason I couldn’t seem to get ‘em any better, even using Piknik. Ah, well.)

Oh, the Humanity!

OK, OK; by now I can hear those of you out there with even a semblance of a green thumb shouting at me through the computer screen, “Don’t worry about it, ya big galoot! It’s normal practice to cut irises back each spring!”

Yeah, I know. But still… whackin’ those poor, tender little darlin’s down to a nub seems so, I don’t know, heartless, doesn’t it?

Ah, but that’s the secret, isn’t it? The fact is, when you cut ‘em back like that, they turn right around and grow even bigger and bushier than before! Ironic, don’cha think, that the worst possible thing that you could do to a plant – whack it down to the ground – would actually, y’know, be good for it.

So…

I was sitting at my desk the other day, contemplating those irises, while waiting to hear whether or not I still have a job to come back to. It’s not an easy way to spend your day, I’ll tell ya. And, I’d wager that a significant percentage of other folks out there may even be facing the exact same thing.

Hey, I feel for ya, my friends; I really do. I’ve had this happen a time or two before, and I know how hard it is.

But I’ve discovered, over time, that quite often times like these can actually lead to even better opportunities – opportunities you may have completely overlooked if you’d stayed put. I know it sounds crazy, and it certainly isn’t something that most of us look forward to. But it’s true, nonetheless.

The Question of the Day

The whole key, I believe, is to be resilient. Of all the abilities you could possibly have these days, I personally think that’s the one that’ll get you farther than practically any other. Especially in these days and times. And (now listen to Dr. Bob here, y’all), I can tell you from experience; being resilient will help you weather any storm, survive any trial, and bounce back from any setback.

Resilience is the one personal characteristic we should all develop as quickly as we can. Hey, you never know; you might just find potency you never knew you had; new ways to bloom that just weren’t there before.

Take those irises, for instance. I continued to watch the pathetic little chopped-off fellahs as I walked by them every day. But you know what? The next day, there were already bright green shoots popping up all over the place. Within a week, the new growth had already reached several inches high.

Two weeks later (in a dramatic appearance rivaling the giant beanstalk growing from young Jack’s magic beans), not only were they back with a vengeance, but the little boogers were already bloomin’ up a storm! (Click on the photo and take a closer look at the photo if you like.)

Now that’s what I call resilient!

So… are you resilient? That’s the question, isn’t it?

Um… shouldn’t you be thinking about your answer right about now?

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Photos:

Cut!, by Robert Hruzek

Growth Spurt, by Robert Hruzek

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Note from the Proprietor: This is also an entry for this month’s What I Learned From… groupwrite project. If you’d like to join the fun, just click on that link and read all about it. Everyone is welcome – you may even win a free prize!

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

OK; I admit it. I’m an (sound of terrified scream) optimist.

Admittedly, that may come as a shock to those of you who are aware of my current job situation. Alas; by the time you read this, I may have been ‘downsized’. (Psst. Anyone know of a need for a first-class Mechanical Project Manager with lots of worldwide experience?)And it definitely flies in the face of the current (sound of heartfelt sobbing) Big Picture. You know the one I mean, right: the on you hear about on the daily news?

But I just can’t help it; I tend to see the sunny side of things. At least, eventually.

Anyway, if you’ve spent any time at all in the Middle Zone, you’ve probably come to that conclusion too. (Or, you just assumed I was, y’know, insane.) It’s not my fault – really! Hey, I can’t help it if there’s so much zany stuff goin’ on all around me. I sometimes think it follows me around, y’know?

It’s what I call the S.H.I.N.E. Syndrome: Seeing Humor In Nearly Everything.

Take, for instance, this one particular mosey down the sidewalk…

Meet… Frank

So, I’m strollin’ along, enjoying the beautiful fall weather, when I just happen to look up and see the scene pictured here. Look closely at the middle of the photo. Now, what do you see?

If you’re anything like me (and sincere condolences if you are), then you may have noticed the smilin’ face up there on that utility pole. (See the smile and the weird square glasses?) Yep; there he is, just smilin’ away, as if at some private joke. (Hmm… now that I think about it, I wonder… is he laughing with me or at me?)

Anyhoo – since I see this guy pretty much every day, and because we’ve kinda gotten to know each other (if you get my meanin’) – I’ve decided to call him… Frank. (Don’t ask why.)

I guess my point is (and yes, I do have a point – and it ain’t the one on top of my head), when you’re in the midst of your busy – and often high-stress – days, stop, take a moment, and look around you. You might just find something that’ll lift your spirits, no matter what’s goin’ on in your life.

Trust me; if you can manage it, you’ll be glad you did. It’s better for your health, your frame of mind, and (perhaps most importantly), your fellow workers will appreciate it, too.

Really!

Oh, and by the way, Frank says “Howdy!”

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Photo: Don’t Worry; Be Happy, by Robert Hruzek

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Hey, today is the last Monday of the month, and it’s when I usually announce the topic for the next month’s What I Learned From… groupwrite project. But I need to give you a quick recap first.

OK, by now you have probably noticed the ongoing series (Scenes From a Sidewalk) I’ve been perpetrating here at the Zone, right? Good for you; on the ball as always!

Here’s the posts in the series so far:

• Introducing a New Post Series: Scenes From a Sidewalk
• Outstanding in Your Field
• From There to Here
• Reflections
• The Shadow

Trust me when I say, there’s plenty more to come! But I asked myself the other day, Self, why should I have all the fun with this topic? Thus a topic was born!

So next Monday, the topic for our next What I Learned From… groupwrite project will be:

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What I Learned From… a Sidewalk!

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Hey, if you’re not sure exactly how you’d write about that, just check out those posts above, starting with the introduction. Then take it from there!

The fun starts next Monday, March 2, so be sure to tune in then! And… just to spice things up a bit, I have an extra-special surprise for you this time! BUT – you’ll have to tune in Monday to find out what it is!

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

“Who knows what evil lurks in the minds and hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”

- Byline from the classic radio series, “The Shadow”

The Shadow

It was a balmy summer’s eve, and the big cottonwood tree sighed quietly in the wind, causing an almost subliminal shiver in the sultry air. Small, numerous clouds like a flock of geese scudded silently across the sky, eclipsing the bright three-quarter moon’s light in a rhythm reminiscent of a roadside hotel sign: on, off, on, off…

I was about eight, and my dad had set up the tent in our backyard for my sister and me to camp out in. After an evening of pretending we were out in the wilderness (instead of our mundane suburban back yard), our parents had gone to bed, leaving us on our own for the night. As the sleeping bags were quite comfy – and I was almost positive there were no bears about – we lay ourselves down and drifted off to dreamland.

In the middle of the night, though, something woke me up. Naturally, I did what any kid my age would do: let my imagination take off like a Formula 1 racing car (sound of tires squealing). The clouds had gone by now, allowing the big summer moon to shine down on the scene like the floodlight from a police chopper. I cautiously eased my eyes up level with the bottom of the tent’s bug screened windows and peered intently out, half expecting to see burglars – or at least a werewolf or two – shuffling around outside.

Alas, all I could see were bright, moonlit patches mixed with deep shadows. Although the soft breeze caused the shadows to dance a bit, that was to be expected. As I intently scanned our perimeter, though, I suddenly noticed an odd-shaped shadow off to one side of the house, next to a large logustrum bush.

At first, I wasn’t sure what it was that caught my attention. But gradually the shape began to resolve itself into an astonishingly familiar – and incredibly terrifying shape: it was an actual bear, standing very still and looking right at me!

Needless to say, by now my little heart was beating a mile a minute. I found myself completely unable to breathe, and was suddenly drenched in a sticky cold sweat. My eyes were the size of saucers as I shakily grabbed my trusty flash light (all the while thanking my parents for making us keep one handy!) In a remarkable demonstration of bravado, I switched it on, brightly illuminating the (sound of terrified scream) bear rose bush next to the house!

That’s when it happened!

In the twinkling of an eye, that frightening shadow instantly transformed itself from a drooling, man-eating bear – into a plain old garden plant. And what’s more; when I turned the light off and looked again (just to check, y’understand), I not only couldn’t see the bear any more, but I couldn’t understand how I’d ever thought the shadow even looked like a bear!

Shadows and Substance

And now, back to the present…

On my daily mosey down the sidewalk one particularly sunny day, I encountered this shadow across my path. Through some odd quirk of the ol’ little gray cells, I was reminded of the above story from my childhood.

Funny how something as innocuous as a shadow can play tricks on you, isn’t it? I mean, that shadow practically had me on the ropes, if you get my meanin’. Until, that is, I turned the flashlight on. That’s when the clear light of reality set things right and put everything in its proper context.

And that’s the root of today’s lesson, y’all. I reckon that shadow is a good illustration of how we can allow fear to affect us.

See, when our situation is poorly-lit, if you get my meanin’, or when we can’t quite make out the nature of what’s comin’ our way; when the uncertainty reaches epic proportions – well, that’s when the ol’ imagination starts to fill in the blanks with whatever it likes, whether it makes sense or not.

Thinkin’ about that night in the backyard, I just have to laugh. I mean, c’mon; what were the odds that an actual, y’know, bear was out there in our back yard? Practically… astronomical, right? And yet, that bear was as real to me at that moment as this keyboard is under my flying fingers… until I faced it. Then it disappeared as softly as a snowflake, never to return.

Your Turn

Hey, all I can do is offer you a word of advice. Before you decide on a course of action, take some time to shine the light of reason on the situation. Get some feedback from a trusted advisor. Get some sleep! (And yes, you can!) The fact is, rarely are things as bad as they seem, especially in the heat of the moment.

What, out there in the world today, are your bears? Are you facing, like me, a potential layoff situation? Is the uncertainty starting to get to you, and you wonder how you’re ever goin’ to cope?

What do you do when you’re facing uncertainty? What do you do when you’re afraid?

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Photo: The Shadow, by Robert Hruzek

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

The time was late afternoon and the work day was over. As I waited by the curb for my carpool to show up, I noticed these odd-looking reflections on the drive right in front of me. (The fact that I actually noticed something is nothing less than amazing, considering the fact that my brain has a tendency to sorta shut down once, y’know, Elvis leaves the building.)

It’s kinda hard to tell from this photo (click on the images for larger views), but those reflections are actually X-shaped, where each X is formed by two curved lines, as if written in cursive script. Kinda interesting, actually.

What made the ol’ gray cells take notice, though, was an idle thought about where these curved reflections came from. I mean, all I could see behind me were flat window panes everywhere. Check it out for yourself in that next photo a little lower down.

It did spark a thought, though…

No Wait! What I Meant, Was…

A while back a friend of mine and I had something of a blowup in our relationship. Oh, don’t worry; in the vast scheme of things, it wasn’t all that serious. But you’ll be understandin’ if I don’t get, y’know, too specific?

Anyway, let’s just say the problem stemmed from the fact that he got one impression of a particular situation, while all along I had actually meant an entirely different thing. And the problem, it seems, is that he got a somewhat, well, distorted picture of me – via someone else.

I’ll tell ya; there’s practically nothing more flabbergasting (and yes, it can be disappointing and traumatic, too) than finding out someone you personally know has developed a, shall we say, “less than optimum” opinion of you – based on someone else’s opinion, is there?

Now, I know you’ve never had that happen to you, right?

Reputation Management

Here’s the thing, though. As a writer, I’m very interested in folks gettin’ the right impression of me (and just so we all understand; by “right opinion”, I mean, y’know, “my opinion”). After all, one of the main reasons I started Middle Zone Musings was for “reputation management”, if you get my meanin’.

So what’s the best way for that to happen, you ask? Hey, I’m so glad you asked!

Well, in a perfect world, folks will drop by the Zone, read the articles, leave a comment or two, and basically get to know me as a person, right? That way you’ll recognize my many *ahem* wonderful qualities and, should the opportunity arise, you’ll be well-equipped to tell folks what a fine fellow I truly am!

[Note from the Proprietor: OK; I realize the previous paragraph sounds an awful lot like your humble writer is sorta, um, blowing his own horn here. But what the hey, don't we, as writers, all really want that for ourselves? I'd say we're probably in reasonably safe territory as long as we don't, y'know, break an arm pattin' ourselves on the back. I'm just sayin'.]

But in this case, what happened was, my reflection (from that other person) was, well, not what I thought it would be. Like those reflections on the driveway, instead of a straight picture, they got a somewhat, er, twisted view.

Bring It Back Home

OK; time to bring this baby home. Here’s a series of questions you might want to ponder:

Has anything like that ever happened to you? What did you do about it? Have you ever been in a situation when there was nothing you could do about it? Suppose someone you don’t know just wrote something bad – and wrong – about you? What would you advise someone who is facing such a thing?

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Photos:

Reflections 1, by Robert Hruzek

Sunlight and Shadows, by Robert Hruzek

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

Call it a quirk (heck; call it insanity if you like – I don’t mind), but whenever I see a crosswalk, it always brings to mind that Question of the Ages: Why did the chicken cross the road, anyway?

But I digress.

See, as I leave the building on my daily mosey to the deli over in our main building (it’s a ways down the street), one of the first things I see is that crosswalk in the photo.

While it ain’t exactly the Mona Lisa, as crosswalks go it’s a rather nicely-painted one, wouldn’t ya say? Clear, white lines; smooth, unbroken concrete; hey, it’s pretty much everything you’d want in a pedestrian safety guide, right?

And that word guide is what triggered this lesson.

A Convoluted Trail

I may have mentioned once or twice about how I ended up becoming an engineer. Believe me, it’s a somewhat convoluted trail, to say the least.

You could say that engineering was in my blood. (Well, you could say it; that didn’t necessarily make it so.) After all, my dad was an engineer, and my mom had always worked for engineering firms, too. In fact, when I was little, some days my mom used to take me with her and let me explore the company library where she worked (she was the company’s librarian and travel agent). So I spent my days there perusing such esoteric publications as The Mechanical Engineer’s Handbook, assorted engineering and construction equipment manuals, and fun stuff like that.

All the way through school, including junior high and high school, everyone in my family just sorta assumed I’d be an engineer. As a matter of fact, so did I! Hey, it was only natural, right? Thus, when it came time pick one, I chose a local college – Texas A&M University – well-known for its engineering school. By then, I was more than ready to follow in my parents’ footsteps.

Unfortunately (sound of buzzer), when the time came to start my engineering courses, I ran into a high, smooth wall called Calculus (sound of terrified scream). It was a rude awakening, to be sure. (I wrote a little about this in “The Pain and the Prize“. Feel free to go read it. No worries; I’ll wait.)

To tell you the truth, this was just the first turn in a long, convoluted path that would probably take a book-length post to relate. After everything was said and done, though, within a couple of years I somehow ended up in the engineering business anyway! Ironic, huh?

What I discovered, after a few false starts, was that I somehow seemed, I dunno, predisposed towards engineering as a career choice. Once I realized – and accepted that fact (believe me, it was a real struggle!) – I got a job as a designer (which is sorta like one step below the engineers) and ended up filling that role for a great many years.

Although I truly enjoyed the work, a wintertime field assignment to a tiny town in Illinois finally brought me face to face with the realization that something wasn’t quite right (You can read about this particular epiphany in “What I Learned From a Manlift“). You know that feeling, don’t you? It’s that innate sense that – although there’s nothing wrong with your current situation – you just know there’s something “out there” for you to do.

Anyhoo – after hemmin’ and hawin’ around a while, by an amazing series of circumstances I managed to find myself with a degree in Engineering (plus a couple of other degrees too while I was at it), and nowadays I work as an Engineering Project Manager for a global-sized Engineering firm here in Houston.

I’ll tell ya; it was quite a trip!

What I Learned From a Crosswalk

I guess the thing I learned was that there was something, I don’t know, guiding me along in my path from without-a-clue child, through my mathematically-challenged years, to where I finally made it to Project Manager.

Almost, strangely enough, like that crosswalk. I mean, sure, it was perhaps a bit more twisted than you’d usually find these days (as if painted by a drunken road worker on the day after a three-day bender), but still, somehow I ended up crossing that street and ending up where, apparently, I was headed all along!

Anyhoo -

Take a moment, if you would, to consider where you are right now in life: your chosen profession (if you have one), your goals, and how you got there. My question is this: now that you’re, y’know, here – what was the one single influence that made the biggest difference in how you got from there to here?

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Photo: Crosswalk, by Robert Hruzek

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is one of an ongoing series of posts called Scenes From a Sidewalk. Want to know what it's all about? Follow that link to read the series introduction.]

OK; pop test time! Hey, don’t worry; this one’s easy.

A little lower down in this post there’s a photo I want you to look at (click on it for a larger view if you like). Which car would you say is the most obvious one in this parking lot? (Note: if your answer was NOT “the red one”, then thanks for playing, and here’s some lovely imaginary parting gifts.)

So what does a car have to do with anything? Well…

Uh-Oh

So here’s the scene:

It’s a recent Monday morning. My boss called three of us into his office. We sat down, and he immediately gave us the unexpected news: We were to be cycled off our project at the end of the month to meet our client’s new cost reduction goals. (Once again, our troubled economy rears up its ugly head and bites us in the, er, nether regions.)

Needless to say, this was a mite unexpected, since my part of our project isn’t due to be finished until May at the earliest. I mean, sure the biz was not as robust as it used to be, but up until this moment, I had been concerned – but not really worried.

Now, all engineering firms essentially operate the same way: folks are assigned to a specific project (or projects) for a finite length of time. When the project is complete, we cycle off and are reassigned to the next project that needs our particular skill set. (It’s called a matrix organization, in case you’re wondering. And no, we don’t all wear long leather coats, dark glasses, and live in a virtual world.)

Anyway, my first thought was, OK, fine; so what’s my next assignment? And that’s when the other shoe dropped (sound of other shoe, dropping). When I called my department manager, I was unpleasantly surprised to discover there are no available openings!

That’s right folks; at the end of this month, I may be out of a job!

On Being Outstanding

Well now! To quote that great American Philosopher, Jimmy Stewart (or maybe it was Elmer Fudd), “Now THAT’S a fine how do ya do!”

Having been on the receiving end of the, er, Golden Boot more than a few times in my career (I used to do a lot of contract work – which usually concludes with the phrase, “Thank you very much; goodbye!”), the situation is not an unfamiliar one. So I know what to do: polish up the resume, fire up the networking skills, and hit the pavement!

But there’s a problem. Instead of a job market filled with opportunity, I’ve suddenly become one of many who are in the same lifeboat. And that boat’s only so big, y’know?

Anyway, what with the economy in such flux lately, and the job pipelines suddenly bein’ flooded with resumes, well, a thought suddenly hit me (sound of dull thud). Question: Amid the zillions of folks out there clamoring for attention, what’s the best way to, y’know, get noticed?

Answer: Figure out how to be outstanding! And I don’t mean out standing in your field (unless, of course, you’re a professional scarecrow).

Now the phrase “get noticed” has both negative and positive connotations. And it certainly pays to make sure you know the difference. After all, I’m not advocating you dress up in a clown suit and parade around on the corner of Main and 5^th with a poster proclaiming “I need work!” (Unless you’re a professional clown, of course.) But I think you get my meanin’, right?

Anyhoo – I certainly have a challenge in front of me. But my question for you is this: So what are you doin’ to get noticed?

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Photo: Parking Lot, by Robert Hruzek

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The Houston division of the engineering firm I work for is located in two main buildings, plus several floors situated in two other buildings located near the main campus. Alas, the project I’m working on is located in that smaller building ‘waaaay down there in the middle distance, about a half-mile or so down the street from our main buildings.

(And no, Smarty Pants, it doesn’t mean we’re, like, radioactive or anything. It’s where the client chose to locate the project team.)

Now, as a consequence of bein’ a cube-dweller, I naturally fancy a stroll now and then to help get the ol’ blood corpuscles movin’, y’know? So whenever the weather is nice (and just as a reminder for you folks living up there in the Frozen North, lemme just say that here in Houston, it’s pretty much ALWAYS nice), at lunchtime I usually take the opportunity to mosey on down to the deli, located in our main building.

Question: What do you do when you’re just moseying along? (Note – here in Texas, we don’t just walk, we mosey – but maybe that’s just us.)

Y’know, I gotta admit; before I started writing here at the Zone, I wasn’t the most, um, observant fellow. I mean, back then, I probably woulda gone back and forth – and likely wouldn’t have even been able to tell you if the sun was shining or not. Seriously.

BUT (and notice; that’s a BIG ‘but’), nowadays I find myself observing literally everything. It’s an interesting shift, I’ll tell ya. And therein lies a tale. Or to be more accurate, several tales.

Scenes from a Sidewalk

See, there’s this sidewalk…

OK; as sidewalks go, this one is admittedly fairly mundane. Like most, it essentially parallels the curve of the road. And for the last few months, this is the sidewalk I mosey along on most work days during my lunch break.

So here’s the thing. I was moseyin’ along down (or is it up? I can never figure that out) that sidewalk one day when it suddenly hits me (sound of dull thud) – I thought about the very first post I wrote back in July ’08 for Joyful Jubilant Learning: How to Learn Something From Anything. (Feel free to stop here and go read it. I’ll still be here when you get back, I promise.)

Anyways; I said to myself, “Self, why not put some feets to them fancy words of yours?” (Sometimes my Self can get pretty uppity. I’ve learned to live with it.) “Why not take note of various objects along the sidewalk, and then see if you can truly turn each one into a lesson from life?”

Now this, er, conversation kinda got me to thinkin’ (which is probably that noise you’ve been hearing lately). My Self was actually startin’ to make a lick o’ sense, y’know? (I must admit to some surprise here, as that is not usually the case.) So I says to myself, “Hey, why not?”

Thus was born a new series I’m callin’ (as you have no doubt discerned by now since you can read the title up there as well as the next person) Scenes from a Sidewalk. I’ll be lookin’ at essentially mundane and oft-overlooked items I’ve passed by along that sidewalk up there in the photo. (Hence the use of the word ‘scene’. It’s a play on words, see? Get it? Seen? Scene? Oh, never mind.)

Anyhoo -

So what kinda things will I be writing about, you ask? Well, all I can say is… even I was surprised at the range and depth of the lessons one can learn from life – at least, as seen from a sidewalk. Some lessons may be lengthy, some may be quite short; hey, even I don’t necessarily know how they’ll all turn out.

All I can say is… expect the unexpected!

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UPDATE: Here’s the posts in the Sidewalk Series to date:

Outstanding in Your Field
From There to Here
Reflections
The Shadow
The S.H.I.N.E. Syndrome
Cut!
Squished!
The Path Not Taken
Sometimes You Need a Little Help (Guest post over at What Would Dad Say)

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Photo: The Long Winding Path, by Robert Hruzek

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