Obliviosity

Absence from writing here lately does not equate to lack of eventful days. Really, it just means that my mind is preoccupied with many other things and the thought of writing a blog post is somehow far from it.

Recently, I coined a new word: obliviosity. My definition: a state of not being aware or concerned with what is going on around oneself. In my experience, this state of being is commonly associated with people in leadership roles, or at least, that is where it is commonly observed. There was one person in particular, a recent supervisor of mine, who seemed to have perfected this state to such a degree that it always felt like we were talking at cross purposes. A typical scenario was when I’d say, “There is a lot of x happening,” to which this person would reply, “I’m really concerned about y and z.”

As you can imagine, it is behavior that is both disconcerting and disheartening. In darker moments, I wonder if this is a key ingredient to longevity as a leader. I sure hope not.

Turning to more mundane but less negative reflections, autumn is one of my favorite times. The beautiful color palette engenders wonder and joy. Sometimes the light is just right so that trees and shrubs become luminous, seeming to have a special glow. As I write this, we are having a smidgen of snow, even. (I love snow.)

Some extended family members have contracted COVID, and there are other ongoing health problems among them, so I’m pretty worried about all of that.