Behold the Turtle

I'm fighting the urge to have a "random thoughts" post. I'd like for today's installment of "this is your life" to have some sort of theme to it. We'll see how it goes.

I'm wrapping up my 14+ years at Eaton this week and the feelings are mixed. There is a real sense of transition and movement which at times seems unsettling. I feel like a small boat being tossed around the ocean and I find myself longing to be back on shore in a sense. (Wow, deep.)

Everything has been very comfortable at Eaton. I know my job, know the company, and love the people I work with. Eaton is like a comfy pair of shoes, and I wonder if I'm going to be stepping out of those shoes and walking across burning coals or if I'll be stepping into another pair of shoes - shoes needing to be broken in but still comfortable.

Let's stay with the shoe analogy. It's like shoes that you wear when you train to run a marathon. Half way through the training the shoes you have on are getting worn out and loosing their ability to get you to your goal. So you go out and buy a new pair of shoes. Now there is a spring in your step and the anticipation grows as you get closer to that finish line. I think the situation I'm in is similar.

Target represents a real opportunity to get outside my comfort zone. I think there is going to be a lot expected of me and that is not only a little scary but it's a chance to step up and really see where this takes me. I know I can do the job - that's not it at all. And perhaps "scary" isn't the right term. It's the excitement and anticipation. It's trying something new. It's growing, changing, engaging, performing. It's finding out what you're made of, which is where I think most of us sell ourselves short.

There are so many quotes that speak to all the things I'm feeling, but two of them seem to speak to me tonight more than the others.

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." - James Bryant Conant

"A ship in the harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are built for." - Anonymous

It would be very safe for me to stay at Eaton, but I know I wouldn't realize my true potential by staying. It's long overdue for me to shake things up a bit, and I feel very blessed and fortunate about this next opportunity - the next chapter of my life.

This dust will settle soon. The shoes will get broken in, and I'll continue on the course towards the finish line. I'm setting sail and leaving the harbor - and I'm sure the trip will be interesting.

One last thing to wrap this up. Julie has been amazing - as always. The saying goes that behind every good man is a good woman, but Julie is more than good for me. She is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and for that I am so thankful.

Julie gave me something a number of years ago - a framed drawing of a boat floating through a wavy sea. I've had it on my desk since she gave it to me and I often will read it and think about the two of us. Written on it are these words:

The little boat of you and me
went sailing on the deep blue sea.
We weathered winds and crashing waves
and we were strong and true and brave.
And we were still in love, so we
kept sailing on the deep blue sea.
The little boat of you and me.