I wrapped up things a little early at work and as I headed home, I realized that it would be a while before the sun sets; enough time to put in a short run. I needed it to clear the cobwebs in my mind. As I wore my shoes, Dojo sulked and growled disapproval. Minoti gaped in awe and smiled at this dsiplay of emotion and exclaimed, "He is protesting! Look he understands!" Of course he does; dogs have keener emotions than humans and display them without inhibitions.
I began hesitantly with a shuffle because this was a "two-a-day" run and I don't want to exhaust myself, especially in this hot weather. As I found a little strength to my stride while crossing New Zealand Hostel, I mused about the vagaries of my business group and the undulating graph of revenue, very much similar to the course I was running. When its down the difficulty in facing board members is trying, to say the least. There comes a certain deeper sense of responsibility as an SBU head and this revelation stops you cold and makes you ponder. The lives and ambitions and families of the people working with you are dependent on your performance. Cash flows are required to pay duties and taxes and expenses and yes, salaries. It is fine when companies have cash flows that are in excess of these requirements; but, when it dries up, the real crunch and hollow fear sets in. I am glad I experienced the worst of this last year and was at the helm to understand how difficult it is. The forthcoming board meeting is going to be stressful - like it is for all who are at the receiving end. Fortunately, I have rounded up the year with a y-o-y growth that should be commendable.
I was now on my return leg of the loop and had fallen into a groove. I felt lighter as I pondered other revelations. Those on my running sites, that display puerile antics: solicitations, fake IDs, sabotage, one-upmanship, cheerleading, misleading posts on profiles etc. I am saddened by it all. I am sure all of this requires a lot of time and it amazes me that there are people with such "disposable" time. I learnt very early that jibes should be met with plain silence and blatant confrontation with fitting rejoinders. I miss my runner friend Mahesh; not because of the eulogies he utters in sychronous strides but because of his simple minded nature and humility. I am above flattery and even as I reach the end of my run, I recall Fermino' joke that evinced guffaws, some 30 years ago. We used to play carrom at the Goan Institute, more popularly known then as "Hall". Fermino commented mid-game saying, "Gordon is the second best player in the Hall". To this there was admiration, dejection, anger and hope in varying proportions in the rest of us, as we waited with bated breath to learn of who would be named "first best". When we heard Fermino say, "First best is rest of the "Hall"", there was an explosion of laughter and relief. Well, I learnt my lessons then and take any compliments with guarded modesty. You never know who is going to be "first best" :-)
I reached home and lay spread-eagled on the floor much to Dojo' joy of seeing I'd returned in an hour. He came over and flopped on the floor next to me, hugging his body as close as possible. I tickled him on his belly and smiled as I realized that I'd sorted out a lot on my mind. It was time to take a break cause I am tired now. With renewed vigour I set about my other pending tasks. Time to wrap it all up.
