Movin on...

This is an e-mail I will be sending to my co-workers and select clients within the next two weeks. I thought I might post it here as a sort of repository. Read that carefully! Not suppository!

To my dear friends:

 Well…as stated at the recent company meeting, and I will paraphrase; “Gaff will be moving on to the next stage in his life.” That is true. Exactly what that “stage” is, or what it will encompass, will only be realized by the doing. As Yoda wisely said to Luke: “Do, or do not; there is no try.” I relish the opportunity to do it, and I will do it, to the best of my ability. And hopefully, with some style.

 It is not without some tinge of doubt, that I begin this new journey. Change can be the most unsettling of human perceptions. We all like to feel comfortable in what we do, and what we expect to do in the future. Sometimes, that just cannot happen. Change needs to happen, despite ones fear or dread of the unknown.

 I went through many, many changes in my thirty-five plus years with the company. Some of those changes were terrific, such as enrolling in the in-house 2,000 hour State of Connecticut, Journeyman Machining course. I had a great mentor, Bob Geisel, who steered me through the curriculum, and helped make the learning more relevant to the real world. Another positive change, was being asked to travel to foreign lands, meet new people, and represent the company. That can be pretty scary, but what a great opportunity for learning it provided.

 Some of the changes through the years were not so terrific. The changes that are foremost in this category, were the loss of co-workers and friends in untimely ways, and the havoc the economy would wreak on the company at critical times. These changes can only be faced and overcome by directly confronting the fear, and knowing that others were dealing with the same angst, trepidation, and loss. “Strength in numbers” is the axiom that defines a company’s ability to weather difficulties. Be they internal, or from external forces. We all should gain strength from each other, when faced with a common foe. Sorry, enough with the preaching.

 I am thankful for the opportunity to work with all of you, and I have gained a great deal of personal satisfaction knowing I have helped colleagues and customers alike, with my hard earned knowledge of manufacturing trivia. I do not suspect that the future holds much need for my limited knowledge of encoders, or Insulated Gate Bi-Polar Transistors, but who knows, that just means there is a whole new realm of possibilities for learning. That, is one piece of advice I tried to convey to my sons, learning is never finished. Learning is what makes everyday worth the effort. It is personal, instantaneous gratification of the highest degree. Don’t be complacent or contented with your knowledge-base. Grow and expand your mind in whatever ways please you. It will be worth the effort. I know I’m not done yet. There are going to be far too many interesting twists and turns in my journey to “the next stage”.

If I could indulge your patience for just one more thought…Please try to take time away from your connectedness. Everywhere I turn today, I see young people and adults enraptured in their smart-phones, tablets, or big screen, High-Definition televisions. They are so “connected” that the real world escapes their notice, often, to the detriment of their well being, and their personal relationships.  Must your friends (and the Mongols) know every move you make? Must you forever imprint that information in cyberspace? Turn your electronics off once in a while. Go outside and look at the world. Or, go to a library or museum and engage with the world. There is so much more to life than feeling real, deathly panic, when you forget to grab your iPhone. There I go again, with the preaching. Mea culpa.

 I will end this missive by borrowing a paragraph from a book my wife, Sharon, read to our sons many years ago…from: “First You Have To Row A Little Boat” by: Richard Bode.

“I come now, at this late juncture of my life, to this sudden realization: I have no destination, no real destination, in the literal sense. The destination, the place toward which my life is tending, is the journey itself and not the final stopping place. How I get there is more important than whether I arrive, although I will arrive, and what I must try to remember, now more than ever, is to listen to the wind, and the wind will tell me what to do.”

 I hope there is a steady breeze in each and every one of your futures. Be well.

Gaff