This is one of the most personal blogs I’ve written. I believe our personal and business lives are inseparable. Sure, we may try not to share too much personal information (TMI) at work, but whether shared or not, work and individual experiences merge like streams coming together – you just can’t stop the flow. We try to keep work at work but whatever is going on at work impacts how we are at home, even if we don’t talk about it.
In March, my niece had the second great-grandchild for my parents, my daughter’s boyfriend asked for our blessing to marry her, and my father died at 90½ years old. Life is full.
The range of emotions – awe, joy, appreciation and sadness – all came together like multiple streams emptying out into a beautiful ocean of life. My father didn’t get to hold his second great-granddaughter but he saw her pictures and knew her name. He had met our daughter’s boyfriend and knew what a wonderful man he is. I have a video at my dad’s 90th birthday celebration of them meeting for the first time – how special. He was ready to go, expressed it clearly and without fear.
And…Life…Goes…On.
We have lives to live; our families, friends, pets and communities benefit from our attention. At work, we have co-workers to support and depend on. We have clients to serve. We are a business.
If the business is the roof or the foundation, the lives and experiences of each person with whom we work are the gardens and trees and artwork that make the space interesting and beautiful. I feel like one of my jobs as owner and CEO is to tend to the garden and trees – sometimes needing to trim, sometimes needing to plant or feed and to protect the art, making sure too much sunshine doesn’t cause it to fade, that it’s in just the right place. As Jim Collins in his book Good to Great would say, I am to make sure that each person is on the right seat on the bus.
I’m so lucky to have a job, a role. Work gives me meaning as does my personal life. My dad found his seat on the bus and was in the right seat for most of his life. He LOVED his work and his family. I don’t ever recall needing him and not being able to get him. I also witnessed his 100% dedication to his work, his art. He modeled work-life blend. How lucky is that?
As we’ve gone through his things, we’ve found the usual suspects: all the clothes and papers and pictures and such. But one of the most amazing things he left us was the draft of the last book he was writing titled Ever, Forever, Now. He is well-published. Most of his books are academic reads for the philosophical community; but this one is special, even if incomplete. It’s more poetic and feels like a love letter to his life. I have not finished it yet – want to linger in it. Having it helps with the grief. I can visit him in the pages, imagine him sitting in his robe, sipping his coffee as he watches his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren laugh and enjoy each other – the circle of life there for him to enjoy.
– Becky Sharpe, CEO
