Multitudes
"Which do you like best?" Michael, one of my local coffee shop baristas, poses the question as he pours my iced tea. I pause to consider my answer. When I can, I try to stretch out the 4-hour drive between my apartment in Chicago and house in rural Wisconsin, stopping for food, gas, and to respond to emails and take phone calls. Arriving is always a bit of a letdown. I'm part of a nomadically-inclined family. My father, even after buying his old farmhouse, couldn't sit still. Living became less appealing as travel became more difficult for him. Stasis begs for disruption; my brain yearns not just for stimulation, but also movement. Many colleagues have become consultants temporarily to fill the time between jobs. I'm wired this way, a start-and-build person, not a long-term manager. I also appreciate a diversity of experiences, whether big city or small town; or working with a small nonprofits or large foundation as Foresight has recently done. But I was taught, whether implicitly or explicitly, that I needed to choose and still feel the expectation. "Which do you like best?" Clients tend to seek specialists focused on a particular subset of needs, as if bringing a broader perspective and toolset is more dilute and less impactful. They've had the same teachers. I could tell my answer, "I like both," didn't satisfy my friendly barista whom I suspect was curious to know if I identified more as a city or country guy. Short-term consulting projects demand constant hustle. But I also know that, for me, a regular, “steady” job is a mirage. I would eventually become restless, yearning for the quiet solitude of the country, the stimulation of the city, eager for a new project, experience, ways to grow.
