Two Steps Forward
I'm taking one step back.
I’ve been fighting with Long Covid for the last 18 months or so. If it’s a battle, it’s bitter, lonely one, with no beginning, no middle, and seemingly no end.
Compared to others, my experience hasn’t been that bad — no hospitalization, no chronic fatigue. Lots of people have it worse than me. I can still do nearly everything I want to do, I just can’t do it very well. It’s like spinning the lid open on a giant jar of ants that come along with me to every fucking picnic.
Particularly shitty is the liminal space it occupies in the popular consciousness. Most people won’t say that Long Covid is actually fake, but they sure as shit aren’t saying it’s real, either. I suppose this is what passes for good news: the media is eagerly reporting the revelation that Long Covid, you know, exists.
The boom and bust of hope and despair never gets old. About every three months, I will string together 7 or 10 good days and I’ll start to think — hey, that was some bullshit! Sure glad that’s over!
But then it returns. It arrives suddenly, like a falling safe arrives on an untidy sidewalk. Imagine falling asleep briefly during a terrible movie and then waking up with a very bad hangover. You’d feel cheated, wouldn’t you? If I’m going to feel this sick, shouldn’t I at least get to have a good time?
Well, What Have You Tried?
One of my many doctors asked me “Have you tried working a little less? Limiting the amount of stress, prioritizing your wellness and sleep?”
I replied “Have you tried getting your head reattached to your torso after it’s been removed by a nearsighted, colorblind, middle-aged white guy with a headache?”
Actually I didn’t say that, because I have exceptional self-control and, given the current economic conditions, it may be hard to find a criminal defense attorney willing to be paid in high-quality artisanal fonts.
This is my way of saying that I’m taking a step back from coaching and writing for a while. I am winding down my group coaching programs. For a little while, I won’t take on new coaching clients. I’ll be posting here a bit less frequently — lucky for you, more room in your inbox!
Oh, another lucky thing for you — my readers. I want to extend an invitation. If you want a little help dealing with what’s happening in your career right now, here’s an opportunity to become part of a community that I enjoy, and that I’ve enjoyed participating in over the past few years.
I’m inviting all of you to join the Safe @ Work Slack group. This is a community of my clients, colleagues, friends, lapsed clients, future friends, and vanquished enemies. Kidding — it’s all delightful people, and to be clear, this is a completely free thing — there’s no paid version of it.
As far as Slack workspaces go, ours is extremely low-key. We don’t see posts every day. A few of the channels are probably clinically dead and should be ceremonially destroyed.
The terrific thing about the group, though, is this: Every week or so, someone posts their resume (“How does this look to y’all?”), or an email they got from a recruiter (“What the fuck does this mean?”) or asks for some help or ideas from the group. And that’s when you’ll learn how amazingly kind, thoughtful, nurturing, and supportive the group can be.
I routinely have the sensation that I am not cool enough to hang out with these people. I honestly am not sure why they let me. It’s probably the fonts.
Anyway, I encourage you all to drop in and say hello. Ask a question or answer one. Send me a DM if you need some help with something. It might take me a day or two to get back to you, but I do try to reply to everyone on every thing.
In the meantime, if there is anything you’d like me to write about, this is a great time to send your ideas. If you’re reading this in your inbox, hit reply and let me know what’s happening with you.
I’d love to know why you started reading, and what you’re hoping to hear from me in the future.
Be well. I’ll see you soon!
