I’m a nosy person, and most of the people who know me love and accept me for it.
I usually know what’s going on. I have an ear dipped in the gossip pool. I know people who know people. I spend a lot of time at coffee shops where people in all kinds of industries sit and chat about the state of the world, religion, politics, philosophy, history. Much to my relief, unlike in a bar setting, nobody’s starting a brawl over disagreements. They kind of agree to disagree, and then talk about something else. Or, if they’re adventurous, they’ll have a civil, Socratic debate, in which others will pop over and join in.
When it comes to keeping a secret, though, if people tell me something in confidence, or I signed a piece of paper legally binding me to secrecy? I’ll hold to it without question. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even look at the tech industry. I probably also wouldn’t have too many friends.
What are friends for if they can’t abide by your boundaries?
I hear and see some wild things in my social circle, though:
People of the spiritual persuasion swearing by the roar of a pink hair dryer to clean out the negative energy in their corner before aligning their client’s chakras.
People arriving in whole cosplay-level body-armor encrusted in gemstones to keep themselves enlightened, and everyone else around them on their toes, eyebrows raised to the sky.
Recruiting agents and tech engineers talking to the former two parties like lifetime friends.
And in the midst of all this? Bible study groups. Some one-on-one, some around the shop’s largest table, laughing loud enough at inside jokes to drown out the classic rock blasting on the shop’s eclectic playlist, blasting ABBA, Classic Rock and sometimes 90’s pop.
So yes, I have reasons to be a fly on the wall. The entertainment is endless. The inspiration for writing overflows.
I’m never bored, and it gives me reason to get out of my house while I’m in an extended liminal space in my career.
I look forward to many years more of this, even after I make my landing on the other side of this ravine.
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