Turbulence

Synchronous events as of late include : (i) a very turbulent flight from Denver to Phoenix, which I understand is typically the case (something to do with the heat of the jet-stream relative to the cold compressed air near the mountains); (ii) the stock value disaster these past few business days; (iii) a discussion with a friend who has known me for about 15 years.

We were talking about honesty, which in her view is not a relative term. In my friend's view, the appropriate time and circumstance to be completely honest is not to be gauged. She feels the right time to be completely honest is when the question(s) is/are asked directly, whether the person being asked is ready to disclose or not.

While I do agree with this level of honesty, I also feel all things are situational, i.e. within a particular context. It feels at times as if my friend's anger at her ex-husband's character defects is transfered on to me !

Truthfully, she is brutally honest in her comments to me because she really cares about me. I'm not sure if she is 65 or 66, but I do know that it is evident in hearing about her experiences, that she has a way of keeping things very honest, and simple.

I met a person in Scottsdale, from Rochester, NY originally from Yuma, Arizona, who took the time to share her professional and family life with me. She also revealed a bit about herself personally, during the 12 mile ride to the Phoenix airport. (as did the driver!). It resulted in me momentarily considering the tremendous impact people in general can have on one another, even during a brief period, or in a minute. People have the immense capacity to care about one another, and be indelibly influenced - for a whole lifetime - by another person's gesture, or action, however brief or seemingly small that action may be. Sometimes, the impact of one's acts can take years to become apparent. (such as in a familial dynamic). Communication with one another can be in the form of an email, a song, a blog; one can communicate loud and clear organizationally.

Whether taking an obstensibly challenging situation and making it positive (i.e. take the opportunity to buy stocks at low prices when markets decline substantially), or recognizing one's own fear and walking through it, changing, immediately, a predictable, circuitous or indirect conversational style around personal matters, for example, or staying open to the possibility of flying to or from Denver once again, it is important, no, it is necessary, to do what one fears most, regardless of outcome.