I just wrapped up my grocery shopping, and I am checking out the pre-owned books for sale in the corner by the service desk. One dollar for softcover, two dollars for hardcover. It uses the honor system. You’re expected to put your money inside the decorative treasure box that they have. I scan over the books, looking at the different titles. I also look at the different covers. I in fact do judge a book by its cover. I am often pulled in by an interesting cover as well as an interesting book title. And, there it is. “A Year of Fog”.

I immediately laughed softly to myself. I think I may have even spoken aloud. I say “that’s like this past year in New Haven. You see, recently, I’ve been looking at other jobs. In fact, I have an interview tomorrow. It’s a sure bet. My current job that I’ve been at for a little over year has been what I describe as challenging. My 10-year-old son says that “challenging” is adult talk for “this job sucks”. I was at my other job previously for 13 years, and really enjoyed the work. So, adjusting to a new job with new people really has been challenging. My reason for leaving the long-term job was for a promotion.

So, a year and some change later here I am. I feel like I may be starting to come out of the fog. So, with this quickly developed connection to this book, I look at the description on its back cover. It talks about a parent walking on the beach with their child holding their hand and seeing something in the sand, and letting the child’s hand go for what seemed to be a brief moment to see what was in the sand, only to turn around to see the child gone. What happened after that I can only guess, as I quickly put the book down. I cannot deal with children being hurt or separated from their parents. This gave me an instant dose of perspective, and a very big one. I don’t know if this book is fictional or not, but that story is one that is all too real in the world. Parents losing their children; horrible, hideous, awful. Me being at a challenging job truly pales in comparison. There, a healthy, hefty dose of perspective.

March 2014