Change.

I’m not a big fan of change.

Well... maybe I should qualify that. I’m a big fan of change FOR THE BETTER, it’s just change all too often doesn’t seem to fall under that heading.

And the truth of the matter is, for the earlier part of my life I had a lot more change than is good for a person. We moved around a lot, a lot more than even those so-called “military brats” and when we moved it wasn’t for good reasons because we were so very poor.

I don’t talk about how poor we were when I was growing up and really I only have a true appreciation of the situation now as I’m older but, man! Dirt was rich compared to us.

So, as I’ve racked up the years, change isn’t always something I cotton to.

And when I talk about change, it isn’t just about places, it’s about people as well. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been steadily employed for the most part over the last year with the same client and the truth of the matter is I like that even though there are times people seem to go out of their way to make you feel like the bastard stepchild simply because you’re a freelancer.

But not everybody is like that.

And some people aren’t about lording over others just so they can feel better about themselves, some people approach the rest of the world just as people and you can deal with them on an one to one basis and that’s the fertile ground where friendships can be formed.

I’ve been lucky too because my business is a young business. The business I’m in (which it seems is not too dissimilar from most American businesses these days) favors youth and part of that is economics but another aspect is also because there is a sense that youth can be a well-spring of fertile and creative ideas (although I’m coming to the conclusion there is nothing really new, just a regurgitation of the hackneyed in a new form).

Even though I am surrounded by young people, every once in awhile I am surprised. I am surprised by the quality and calibre of their personalities, their integrity, their intelligence, their grace. I’ve been fortunate in that over the last year there have been two people who I have shared space with – what I would call office neighbors — who I have just found delightful (a descriptor that seems very uncharacteristic springing from my lips).

They are though and in each case my neighbors have gone on to greener pastures, one left a few months back and one will be leaving by the time it posts to the blog. I cheer their successes, I really do but I also have to say I miss (will miss) them because they make coming to work so much nicer for me.

You know, in many parts of life the one thing you have no power over is who your neighbors will be and this is whether we talk about work or where you live (maybe I should say the place you stay when you’re not working because so many people’s lives today are their jobs). It seems so simple but it can have a big impact on how much or how little you enjoy life and thinking about it now I have been very lucky because I have been blessed with some very good neighbors.

I hope when the new people move in they’re just as nice.