Several years ago, while on an overnight layover in San Francisco in route to Osaka, I stepped into a market not far from the hotel. Standing in the check out line, I happened to overhear an elderly yet graceful gentlemen who, for whatever reason, was sharing his resume with the lady behind the counter. The thirty-something-year-old lady seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say - or at least pretended to be.
"I used to be the Executive Vice President of XYZ company, had a zillion people working for me and my name is engraved here and engraved there blah blah blah" went the stately man matter-of-factly.
Shoot. Even I was impressed.
Yet there he was, standing in the middle of the supermarket, draped in his Sunday best, trying to convince the lady at the register he was somebody important. I guess what he really wanted was for her to SNAP TO ATTENTION and SALUTE whenever his majesty graced the premises.
I also got the distinct impression that, somewhere along the way, he had lost his job; got downsized, forced into retirement or whatever - and was having a lot of trouble adjusting or dealing with his lofty NEW status as, well, a NOBODY.
I can relate.
When I first returned to America via Savannah, Georgia in 2008, fresh from my tenure in Japan as successful entrepreneur, I received a cold hard dose of reality when I discovered that the local population: Investors, business people, employers and students alike, were NOT overly impressed by my background. If anything, most seem to view me as an odd duck; one with a funny "northern" accent. Not white. But not quite black either.
In the eyes of the locals, the best thing I had going for me was the fact that I own two neighboring Victorian houses along the MLK corridor, an area presently undergoing a degree of gentrification.
Adjusting to life as a "nobody", the HERO to ZERO syndrome, I call it, can be a very daunting obstacle to overcome.
Whats the point of having talent, knowledge and "wisdom" if the very people around you don't recognize it? My answer: Who cares. If all goes well, they'll be asking me for jobs one day!
As you can see, I am an optimist by nature; one that is extremely capable of looking at the brighter side of even the most dismal of circumstances; a knack which surely comes in handy on cold nights like these. Brrrrrr.....
I continue to be extremely grateful for my superb health, supportive family and terrific bunch of good friends; not to mention the continued promise of a better tomorrow.
All Praise Be to God.
Gambarimasu!!
Darrell
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