‘He showed me a little thing, the size of a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand. It was as round as a ball. I looked thereon with the eye of my understanding, and though what may this be?’ And it was answered plainly thus, ‘It is all that is made’
~ Julian of Norwich
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Good news, finally!
I got the job offer from Missouri, and it was actually for a more senior position than I applied for! I have accepted, and I will be moving in August!
The visit to Missouri for the interview was actually full of problems, setbacks, and difficulties; my wife said that these were just tests to see if we were really committed :) I think they must have been, and we have been rewarded for our perseverence. The time ahead will be difficult, with a commuter marriage for a while, but it will help our economic situation and get us moving ahead, and in an area that we all really want to be living.
Yee-ha!!
The visit to Missouri for the interview was actually full of problems, setbacks, and difficulties; my wife said that these were just tests to see if we were really committed :) I think they must have been, and we have been rewarded for our perseverence. The time ahead will be difficult, with a commuter marriage for a while, but it will help our economic situation and get us moving ahead, and in an area that we all really want to be living.
Yee-ha!!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
An offering to Spider
While waiting in the lobby before the start of my interview, I reached out to the spiders in the building to tell me about the company. Spiders are everywhere, and pay attention to everything :)
The spiders said that people there were cheerful and got along, although there was often stress about short deadlines; it didn't seem any worse than most software companies and better than many. I asked them to use their influence to help me get an offer, if this was the right place for me.
The interview went well, and we came home. The next day my wife suggested that I should make an offering to Spider, to thank her for her help. This sounded like a good thing to do. That evening I collected several things from my past: some vines of last year's tomato plants, some nice yarn I had been saving for years, and a large red and blue glass bead. I wove a spiderweb on the vines, and threaded the bean onto the center.
The next question was what to do with it. Should I burn it? Throw it into the drainage canal behind the house? Then the thought popped into my head, that I should take it down to the park nearby, onto the bridge that crossed the steam, and cast it away there, for any person or thing to find if they choose.
That is what I did. I dedicated the web to Spider in the backyard, then walked down and stood on the bridge: suspended between places, above the waters of change, in the twilight between day and night. I called out to Spider, and to Oak, Water, and all good things. I declared I felt that this job was the right thing for me and my family, and that I accepted and welcomed the changes and challenges that this would mean for us; that it would mean good for me and good for the company; and that I wished that anyone who could hear me would do what they could to make this happen. I tossed the web out into the shadows and turned from it, hoping that my willingness to surrender things that I had been hoarding would be seen as a sign of my willingness to move forward into new things.
The spiders said that people there were cheerful and got along, although there was often stress about short deadlines; it didn't seem any worse than most software companies and better than many. I asked them to use their influence to help me get an offer, if this was the right place for me.
The interview went well, and we came home. The next day my wife suggested that I should make an offering to Spider, to thank her for her help. This sounded like a good thing to do. That evening I collected several things from my past: some vines of last year's tomato plants, some nice yarn I had been saving for years, and a large red and blue glass bead. I wove a spiderweb on the vines, and threaded the bean onto the center.
The next question was what to do with it. Should I burn it? Throw it into the drainage canal behind the house? Then the thought popped into my head, that I should take it down to the park nearby, onto the bridge that crossed the steam, and cast it away there, for any person or thing to find if they choose.
That is what I did. I dedicated the web to Spider in the backyard, then walked down and stood on the bridge: suspended between places, above the waters of change, in the twilight between day and night. I called out to Spider, and to Oak, Water, and all good things. I declared I felt that this job was the right thing for me and my family, and that I accepted and welcomed the changes and challenges that this would mean for us; that it would mean good for me and good for the company; and that I wished that anyone who could hear me would do what they could to make this happen. I tossed the web out into the shadows and turned from it, hoping that my willingness to surrender things that I had been hoarding would be seen as a sign of my willingness to move forward into new things.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Into Water's hands
My wife and I were off to Missouri this weekend for an interview for me, for a job that will hopefully change our lives for the better. In the hotel the night before, by wife suggested that I go float in the hot tub and commune with Water, "because water is the symbol of change".
These struck me as very wise words, so I did. As I floated, I opened up all my doors and reached out to the spirit of Water, asking its help in the changes that I long for. As I spoke with it, I felt the turbulence of the jets and knew that the change that Water offered would not necessarily be gentle or easy, but that I needed to commit myself absolutely to accept and welcome the change. I thought back to the shadow of the guardian of the East, the giant who closes the door. I spoke to him, asking him to pull the door open wide and let all the life changes that I both desired and feared pour through. I committed to diving into the raging stream of change, and put my life into the hands of Water. Water took my hand, and promised deliver me to where I needed to be. Water warned me that the journey would be rough in spots, as I have already experienced. But the only way to reach the sea is to dive into the river, and let it carry me through rapids.
Water has agreed to be my guide and guard during this time of change, and help shepherd me through to a better situation.
These struck me as very wise words, so I did. As I floated, I opened up all my doors and reached out to the spirit of Water, asking its help in the changes that I long for. As I spoke with it, I felt the turbulence of the jets and knew that the change that Water offered would not necessarily be gentle or easy, but that I needed to commit myself absolutely to accept and welcome the change. I thought back to the shadow of the guardian of the East, the giant who closes the door. I spoke to him, asking him to pull the door open wide and let all the life changes that I both desired and feared pour through. I committed to diving into the raging stream of change, and put my life into the hands of Water. Water took my hand, and promised deliver me to where I needed to be. Water warned me that the journey would be rough in spots, as I have already experienced. But the only way to reach the sea is to dive into the river, and let it carry me through rapids.
Water has agreed to be my guide and guard during this time of change, and help shepherd me through to a better situation.
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