All Weekends Count

It has been a relatively fast week, as far as the passage of time is concerned.  Friday rushed toward me on a bumpy path, but it is finally here. Because of the novel that I’ve started working on I am stirring some old memories.  Last night, I dreamed of the first college I ever went to, the University of Minnesota-Morris. I hadn’t thought of that place in years (it was thirty years ago that I was there).  My memories of Morris are mostly very good, though I was to young to appreciate the value of the place.  The dream was just an ordinary dream.  Thinking about it now though – what a journey I’ve been on in this life.  From there is here has been pretty extraordinary.

I had an interesting conversation yesterday with my friend Don, talking about engagement in life in general, about what it means. To me, engagement happens when you do things with a passion – whether it is work, art, relationships, life – whatever it happens to be. Don doubted that many people were engaged at all.  My experience is about a 50/50 split.  Some people are very much engaged in life, others no so much. 

I told Don he was pretty cynical, to which he replied he was realistic.  I told him that is what all the cynical people say. When I used the term cynical I meant it as “an attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity and professed motives of others, a scornfully or jadedly negative comment or act”.  It is easy to be cynical. It is harder to be an actual Cynic, but that is perhaps a conversation for another place and time.

Work went pretty smoothly, if quick, because most of the day was spent in meetings. I didn’t really accomplish anything.  Thirty years into my professional career and I am firmly convinced that the value of meetings of more than a handful of people without a well defined agenda are basically a waste of time. Holding that opinion might make me cynical as well!  I am looking forward to the weekend, though it will only be a two day weekend, all weekends count to the working man!