Experience
From election coverage to caseload coverage to wondering if/when wisdom will alight on my skull—“experience” seems to be the theme of the moment.
When it comes to electing politicians I must vary quite a bit from most people in that I think it’s a fantastic thing when a candidate doesn’t have extensive political experience. Why? Because this is one area where I’m a curmudgeonly skeptic, convinced that the longer a decent person holds political positions, the more likely they are to get twitchy over power and money and the more distanced they become from the ideals that may have nudged them into the public arena to begin with. Bah.
When it comes to my job, I’ve decided that there comes a time when you need to try to wipe out what you’ve so proudly called your “experience” in the interest of making sure that it’s not just habits guiding your decisions. After so many years of working on my own, learning on my own, trusting myself, I’m discovering that this self-imposed knock-down is not easy, but may be necessary for getting to the next level.
Ah, and life experiences. What have I learned here in New Zealand, now that I’m 2 bikes, 2 refrigerators and 3 washing machines in….(an odd new way to measure time):
- Fresh lemons plucked from behind the clothesline do taste better in shrimp scampi….and mojitos
- On a windy day, put more than 2 clothespins on your sheet or you’ll be searching for it later
- If you ask someone for “yarn,” they’ll start telling you a story
- If someone wants to “give a shout,” don’t flinch, it may mean little yummy treats on a plate
- Finding yourself grounded with no money and no car is a good way to awaken dormant domestic skills…..like cooking, tidying, and obsessively fighting aphids
“Men are wise in proportion not to their experience but to their capacity for experience.”
Dr. Samuel Jackson
Tags: life experience, living in new zealand, New Zealand, political experience
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