The Old Man and the C

For two days, Santiago struggled with the marlin. Learning about it and himself.

It has been just under a year for me, doing this crazy little thing called Consulting. And I feel quite old. An utterly transformative year, this past one. Jumped headfirst into a new career, and a new life. Matching wits with highly talented and intelligent young ‘uns – amused and inspired in turn. Working at this level of intensity is not new, but for such long periods of time at a stretch, possibly. Consulting has changed the way I think and approach everything. Everything is now a problem to be solved. This intellectually challenging approach does quite well at work. Nay, is the lifeblood of my work.

It does not do so well at home.

Lifeblood becomes a very gory reality – always a high risk to life or blood when I use this approach. But what to do, maaki? If I do, problem, if I don’t do, I lose the habit and then again problem. In our induction session, the Grand Poobah had warned of this. Kiddos looked on in incomprehension, while old timers like myself nodded in sad acknowledgement. Some giggled. Come to think of it, the induction session was much like a cult initiation. Cut a true-blue consultant in non-consultant company, and he will bleed, in some combination, arrogance, intelligence, impatience, condescension, and (maybe) pity for lesser mortals who cannot say posh things like strategic rationale, value added inputs, and such like. I may be letting out some real secrets here (ah, but what is this blog if not for its invaluable readers), but here is a list of important terms we use to earn us the big, big bucks. I have a long way to go before I can spew these on demand (I notice some of the newbies talking like this in normal everyday conversations, almost like describing the act of getting a coffee, or taking a leak. Smooth as frictionally minimized, high currency-converting, value-chain ranked fabric). And I hope I never get there.

Having run consulting down, I must also say it is extremely rewarding to work constantly with people so high on intellect, energy, drive, capability, leadership and teamworking skills. Exhausting, but rewarding. Working anywhere else now would be really dull in comparison. Sometimes I wish for that dullness in life, but then I start wondering how much more frustrated I would be working with relative morons. I am severely allergic to morons.

Late in the year, the old man crossed some water bodies and went to New Zealand. Not much surprises the old man anymore, but NZ was truly awesome. Such natural beauty and variety in such a small landmass, relatively speaking. In this day and age, it was refreshing to see a country which cares next to nothing for jobs, careers and ambitions, and is still squarely focused on quality of life. Changed my perspective on a lot of things. The old man came to see.

Oh yeah, and I got married. Nothing ages a man faster than that. As vast as the sea, a marriage is. Sometimes, I can almost step outside myself and watch and wonder at this changed man, watch the rise and fall of everything, with the waves. The surf of confusion, the splash of reality…and the constant search for the strength in the arms to hold the ship steady. Old as I am, she will be the one thing keeping me young.

The old man is consulting today and may continue to do so for a while, but this C is no match for that sea.

^