Finishing is a sweet reward in itself, isn’t it? My assignment now being done, I can safely move on to more introspective and reflective pursuits…

This Yesterday morning I was driving to Uni, not really thinking about much at all, listening to Nova. As is usual on commercial radio, before long I was listening, quite passively, to an ad break. Surprise of all surprises: an ad caught my attention (for the second time in a couple of days, no less) and I was taken in.

It’s a defence force ad, talking about telecommunication engineers. The defence guys have been running this campaign for a while now, and I’d suggest it’s a fairly successful one. These ads contrast a “typically” dreary and unchallenging day-to-day work situation with a high energy, high responsibility, high urgency defence force emergency… The heat of combat. Chopper blades throbbing, equipment beeping, radio comms all around, and then the voiceover saying that a component is malfunctioning and you’re in charge. Now.

The thing is, I love to work “in the moment” – to think fast and use every skeric of detail available when time is short. Analyse it properly – there’s no room for error – but do it quickly, and come up with 3 options or a 5-step plan to remedy the situation. And do it with confidence, a little flair and a lot of good reasoning.

Well, this particular time the ad caught me right off guard, and it really hit home that there’s basically no way I’ll ever be in that kind of crisis/emergency leadership position. I’m studying and slaving and vying to get me a certified desk job, right on the top crease of the white collar, where us lawyers and CEOs and management consultants hob-nob and schmooze while the real emergencies rise or fall on other minds in other places.

I was processing the unexpected immensity of this realisation which welled up from within, and its depth meant that my mind drew a blank for a while. Still, I took the opportunity to change over to some music of my own choice and leave the ads behind. Like the Bond martini, I was a little shaken, but still mostly together.

Mashing play on my still-oh-so-cool Sony NW-S706F Network Walkman allowed its internal Shuffling Leprechauns to play a certain track by a particular diva who shall remain nameless (I’m pleading the 5th here). It was [early] 90s, it was live, and there is good reason for it to have spent time at #1. For a few minutes I was captured by the music, and the beautiful sounds those musicians created together made me catch my breath, enthralled.

If I wasn’t already sitting down I’m sure the second realisation in six minutes would have knocked me over.

I might never get the chance to respond to a crisis situation at the eleventh hour, but I am satisfied with the newfound understanding that I can still put my best white collar hours in at work for whatever greater good I deem worthwhile, and then go and experience the thrill and delight of making music with likeminded creative people. This is one thing at least which makes my heart leap, or soar, or weep, or yearn.

Shaken, and stirred.