The Future's So Bright...

I know the title contradicts my earlier post, but shock has a way of coloring a situation. My heart still aches, but I have never been one on whom lies sit right. I am sure there was an easier way to have said that, but it is late and I am in shock, so please cut just a little slack.

See, I don't lie. I don't lie to a fault. When I was a kid, my mom would throw parties where her friends would come and she would introduce me to them all by saying "Brad, you remember (insert name here)?"

I thought she was asking honestly, so I would look at them, then at her and say "no." I realize that is the incorrect answer, but it was the honest answer. I have since sort of learned the difference, although old reflexes do take the better of me from time to time. Whoops, tangent.

I would always rather take a nasty painful truth than a pleasant lie, especially from someone I think to be above lies. I am a gullible person by nature, so I have a distrusting outer shell. If I trust you, then I cannot imagine you would ever lie to me about anything, even to spare my feelings because I would do the same for you. Bad things are always best heard from those who love you.

This person looked me in the eye and assured me they were behind me, that I could count on them, and that they would do anything before betraying me. And it was not even because of me, but rather because this person thought as I thought and was after the same things. Other people I would worry about from time to time, but never them; to the point of fighting with other people who are beyond reproach in defense of this person.

There is business and there is personal and I am not sure where exactly this one falls. In this case, the business I work for is family and the employees are extended members of this family. I know every company thinks it is that way, but this one really is. When bad things were occurring in this person's life, for example, we took those things personally along with them. Should I hold this person in personal contempt or do I just say this was business and move along?

Anyway, the title is correct. We got off our game last year and lost track of our purpose. It was a fun ride, but it is time to get back to real medicine and forget research. Both help people, but real medicine has a more immediate benefit. It takes years for research to yield results after all.

Everything works out exactly as it should. The trick is to recognize those few parts you have control over and remember to go slack during those many parts you don't. If you do that, then I guarantee you a wonderful and fun ride that will end exactly where it is supposed to.