Hello everyone! I hope your summer has been relaxing and you have had some time to enjoy some downtime with the ones you love. Personally, I love watching the fireflies and listening to the cicadas at night. Although when the calendar turns to August it is usually bittersweet. It reminds me that summer is coming to a close and a new season will soon begin. I try hard to cherish each beautiful day and appreciate the season because I know I will soon miss the warm summer evenings.
And yet the turn of the calendar also brings me joy, hope, excitement, and anticipation. I know the familiar sounds of school buses, leaves crunching, and football drumlines are right around the corner. I look forward to pumpkin carving, fall festivals, and the smell of something yummy in the crock pot.
I know many of you may be preparing to or actively changing seasons in your own lives. I have spoken to members who are sending their children off to college for the first time, some who are sending their kids into the military, and others who are still trying to help their kids figure life out. Other parents will be sending their children back to school for another year, maybe to a new school because of their grade level, or maybe it is the final year at their present school.
And for our members, parents and non-parents alike, many of you have shared seasonal changes that you are personally experiencing. Whether it is the new job or the search for something new, trying to buy a home, navigating the changes at home related to the life changes your spouse or partner, child or children are experiencing, the sudden need to care for your parents, the unexpected loss of a friend or family member, or that secret hope that you will be the person who wins the Mega Millions so you have the time and money to focus on all the things you feel like you really need to and want to, we all have seasonality to our life.
I do not know where every individual is in their life at the moment, they read this although, I know we all have our ups and downs. We share in the human experience. When I am down sometimes, I want to be uplifted and other times I want to commiserate with someone. When I am happy, I often have the urge to share my joy and be the person who uplifts others. And sometimes that means just listening. I try hard to match the needs of others, although I suspect I fail more than I succeed and so I try again.
Wherever you are in the seasonality of your life, remember you are not alone, others have been there, and others will follow behind you. Learn from your successes and your failures; we are all comprised of both. Share your stories, you would be surprised how others can benefit or may appreciate hearing that they are not alone. Finally, if you are not experiencing any personal or career change currently and feeling quite content, that’s truly wonderful, however as a human resources professional it is essential that we always remember that someone who works in our company or organization probably is.
If you would like to catch up with me to talk about this topic or any topic, I will be at the Lancaster Chamber HR Roundtable event on August 15th where we will be talking about Employee Handbooks. I will be presenting at the PA SHRM Annual Conference in State College on September 14th & 15th, and I will of course be at our Fall Legal Conference at the IU13 Training Center on September 29th. I sincerely hope to see you at one or all of those events!
Embrace the change of seasons, as Michael J. Fox says, “With gratitude, optimism is sustainable.”
My best,
Jen