There are pressing problems in my work life and also in my son’s personal life. Given that I work for his company, these problems intersect. And I am saddened. So what do I do?
I do nothing, unless I am sure it is the right course. It’s the old adage of “Don’t just do something; stand there.” My oldest friend (in terms of years of friendship) and I have said this to each other for years when the urge was to rush in and handle something our children were struggling with. But my son is forty this year; so shouldn’t he be the one to decide what to do?
As for me, I seek solace in various small books of wisdom. I remember sayings that spoke to me when I had similar problems. One – “He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger” – supports me now. I smile through my sadness.
Another, attributed to Martin Buxbaum in 1966, “The silence of silence she could not bear and he the sound of sound.’
A perfect description of the issues at hand.
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