It’s funny how IT sneaks up on you. And I certainly don’t mean a scary clown from the Stephen King novel.
Last year when I wrote about resolutions number two on my list was finding my “IT” again. I thought “IT” might be travel because there’s nothing quite like skydiving for the first time or zip lining through a rainforest to make you feel alive. However mid 2016 I exhausted myself out with a series of trips and realized, while I certainly enjoy travel and how it makes me feel strong and independent, it wasn’t my IT.
Ironically today, when I was busy going through the motions of wrapping up my year long project, answering questions, routing issues, canceling reoccurring meetings, and crafting thank you notes to my team, a slice of melancholy with a pinch of nostalgia set in. The familiar feeling caught me off guard.
“Oh. IT’s back.”
I had tried so hard to keep my distance from this IT, after the heartbreak of my favorite project from a couple years back getting partially scrapped that I didn’t realize that this project was sneaking up from behind to give me a bear hug. That’s what today felt like, a hug that I’ve been missing for the past couple years.
My IT is what it’s always been. I love shipping software, incredibly complex, cross-functional, highly visible, customer facing software. I love putting the pieces together and knowing how it all works. I live for the surprise and delight, the tweets, the articles, and the feeling that other people across the globe get to see my work, even if they don’t know I had a part in it.
And for those who do know, thanks for noticing that despite trying my best not to get attached, I do as I’ve always done, I went all in on IT.
Then I celebrated the only way I know how, a big heaping sashimi dinner with a friend.
