Small wins

Funny how things play out. Just when you've gotten to the end of your rope and you're ready to let go, something gives and you walk away thinking,

"Huh. Well that was a pleasant surprise."

Next thing you know, you're back at your desk the next morning with new optimism refreshed and revitalized to start another day. You start thinking that maybe this is way better than you thought, completely forgetting how quickly you almost resorted to violence the day before.

In some cases, it's a roller coaster. One week is a slow climb to the top and you walk out of a work with a little bounce in your step, thinking things are good and you can see this play out longer term, and then...

Kapow!

Some dumb shit goes down that knocks you on your ass and you're left staring up at the ceiling thinking, "how tf did that just happen?" Next thing you know, you're rage applying for new jobs and the thought of walking back through those doors for work again has your stomach in knots and all you want to do is either a) curl up in a hole and never come out or b) thunder kick your desk and give double fingers while you walk out the door never to return. For the record, neither of those options is ideal, but I get it.

The roller coaster starts to feel a little dysfunctional where things go really wrong one day, and then the next, you get juuuuust enough love to keep you coming back for more.

The small wins keep some coming back day after day, grasping desperately to those little lights that show us what we think is the end of the tunnel. Ha, the other day, we had a crisis at work that required all hands on deck. Everyone rallied together and we got to what we thought was a solution... described as "a light at the end of the tunnel" by one manager. Another staff member jokingly asked, "Are you sure that light isn't a train?"

Everyone laughed and we went on with our day, and then the next day...

Bam!

It turned out the problem was not in fact solved and the team got an email from the manager who had mentioned the light at the end of the tunnel...

Dear Team,

You were correct, the light was not the end of the tunnel, it was indeed a train.

Damnit.

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is indeed the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, it is in fact, another train. Are you prepared for the train? Or are you just hoping for the end of the tunnel?