Priors

Just tinkering with the Jeep in the driveway, a neighbor stops by.  The prior Jeep, the prior driveway, one of the prior neighbors.  All these priors, must be the prior town; Davenport.  A few days in Iowa was fantastic, as Iowa always is.  One day in Davenport was … well, Davenport, as it typically is.  Or, more precisely, was and is again. 

I’m sure he meant well.  This is wrong.  That is wrong.  What were they thinking?  It’s going to heck.  Have you seen that casino?  Next to the low-income apartments and storage sheds.  Crime is up.  Shots fired almost every day.  No plan for the riverfront.  Did you read the Times this morning?  Can you come back?  We’re moving to Bettendorf.

Okey, doke.  Thanks for sharing.  I think you've confused me with somebody who used to live here.  

It only took six days for bank robbery hostages in Stockholm to have a syndrome named after their experience.  Imagine what fourteen years can do.  The Stockholm Syndrome describes a set of psychological symptoms where captives form positive emotional bonds with their captors.  The conditions necessary for the syndrome to develop include an extended period of crisis, continued contact with the captors through the crisis (the Tuesday briefings?) and captors showing some kindness to the captives.  Hey, check out this ten-year anniversary pin thrown under the office door.  Sa-weet!

No joke, it was the kind of place where the collective cognitive dissonance of the City Council caused someone working on the budget to deliver a PTSD diagnosis to my desk.  No joke. 

Here’s the good news.  The FBI did some research and only about 8% of people in captive situations develop Stockholm Syndrome.  Here’s the other good news.  There need not be a connection between City Hall drama in Anytown, USA and the life you make within the community.  Drama doesn’t work so well in government.  Drama is a repellant to the things you actually want in a community, including goodwill and investment.  In fact, the only thing that repels new investment more than indecision and lack of vision, is drama.  Unfortunately, drama is also a time-tested election and newspaper sales strategy as well as a - hey, look at me, I’m important - tactic.  So, there’s gonna be some conflict.  It was there before you arrived.  It’ll be there long after you leave.      

My suggestion is have fun.  Don’t let it affect you.  It’s quality of life advice I’ve consistently given to those who report to me, along with the career advice of never letting survivor guilt stop you from pursuing a better life.  We spend so much of our waking lives working for these places, we do grow to love them and the folks we work with.  But the good folks will still be there, and the places, programs and memories you love will still be there too.  So … go find some new stuff to love.

photo note:  The TJ, resting between ski trick launches, at Davenport’s skate (and freestyle ski) park 

5/11/16