In 1982, about 18 months into my first job after grad school, the company announced it was closing a portion of the chemical plant and there would be layoffs. That was a harsh wake-up call. Until then, I still carried the notion that a job was for a lifetime, unless you stole from the company. How naive. The world had changed. I recall being really scared -- I was a long way from home with a lease, a car loan...no safety net.
At work, I shared an office space with Steve Aillelo, a good process engineer and good old Baton Rouge boy, but a really negative person. He painted such a gloom and doom scenario that I had to leave when he came in...I realized that his dim view of how things would turn out would increase my fears. Hanging with him was the worst thing I could do. That's the first time I recognized what parents intrinsically know...who you hang with is who you become. To this day, I have to limit my exposure to negative people.
Today, my best friend and I got together for the first time in about 5 years and I'm reminded why we became best friends. We are complete goofballs together. This must be her fault. When I'm not around her I'm perfectly respectable. If the amount of laughing we did today is any indication of the week ahead it's going to be great fun.
At work, I shared an office space with Steve Aillelo, a good process engineer and good old Baton Rouge boy, but a really negative person. He painted such a gloom and doom scenario that I had to leave when he came in...I realized that his dim view of how things would turn out would increase my fears. Hanging with him was the worst thing I could do. That's the first time I recognized what parents intrinsically know...who you hang with is who you become. To this day, I have to limit my exposure to negative people.
Today, my best friend and I got together for the first time in about 5 years and I'm reminded why we became best friends. We are complete goofballs together. This must be her fault. When I'm not around her I'm perfectly respectable. If the amount of laughing we did today is any indication of the week ahead it's going to be great fun.