The power of (modern) family rituals
Today marks my 18 years with Dell Technologies. I have officially become of age!
THINK. My first day in the company was in the Limerick site, that used to be a manufacturing plant. Little that I knew, I am now sitting on the other coast of the same country, Ireland, 18 years wiser, more grey hair, more kilograms (of wisdom, of course!), and filled with gratitude. If not for this company and number of roles I was privileged to play, I would have never met so many amazing people.
It does sound cliche, but it really is the relationships and experiences that made it an enriching journey.
There is no denying that I have changed as a person is result of my work experiences. I moved from local operations to multi-country, multi-culture, even multi-time zone regions. I travelled extensively. I was part of multiple development programs that all added both my IQ and EQ. I witnessed business and personal challenges, shaping the ability to stay calm amidst the storm and lift others up. Funnily enough, both my children were born during my Dell career so all they ever saw in context of my job was 'a beautiful work in silence' (as described by my boy, then 4-year-old).
The highlight of rewiring has been the resilient positivity I managed to instill in my being in much greater degree. Believe me, 18 years ago I have had much more anxious, pessimistic outlook on life. A lot of that, as we commonly recognize, comes from our upbringing. My professional career has been a positive (pun intended) catalyst of change. It all felt awkward in the beginning, nearly 'fake it till you make it' - so foreign, so itchy. Not anymore.
Would Caring Geek even exist if not for that journey? I feel grateful.
FEEL. An important moment in my family last night as well - after a year or so of casually watching an episode or two every other evening, we just finished watching the last season of 'Modern Family' comedy series. If you are not familiar with the story, all you need to know is that we follow an extended, 3-generation family over a decade (oh, spoiler alert - actually 4-generation!), through many ups and downs of their everyday lives. It matters less what qualities do the characters represent, or which social issues are being brought to the screen. 'Modern Family' is a celebration of connection, forgiveness, and everlasting power of rituals. As stereotypical as some situations appear, is this not because such is life?
Numerous times we used the plot to have a conversation about the issues at hand, what we would have done when facing similar situations, or how did we understand the motivations. A reasonably safe content (albeit I am sure people get cancelled for much milder jokes these days), it created an emotional sandbox. A nostalgia of final minutes made us well up a little - but is it not the whole point?
Humans get emotionally attached to other humans - at work, TV screen, social media. My favourite character is Phil, a dreamer, cheerleader dad, with all the awkward jokes, nerdiness and extraordinary talent for embarrassment - but a positive, emotional, caring person who is always there for others. Not a bad role model, huh?
DO. Having been notoriously terrible for taking leave and enjoying personal travels, I booked an important trip this morning! A friend of mine will be celebrating her birthday in style later this summer, and I want to get there to honour the golden occasion and reconnect with her and some other, long-time friends. Greece, here we come!
Today, I also bid farewell to another work friend, embarking on a life adventure with her family and leaving soon for a year-long trip in an RV! I admire her courage in deciding to substantially disrupt their status quo but have no doubt every team member is going to walk away with more self-confidence, resilience, and cultural awareness. Transformation is hard, but it is most often well worth it.
Here is to new adventures and celebrations of life!
