“The Chinese use two brush strokes
to write the word ‘crisis.’
One brush stroke stands for danger;
the other for opportunity.”
- John F. Kennedy

I will never, ever forget it.

We were just sitting our biweekly tag-up.  All of the managers I support, their leads, etc, the usual suspects all crowded around a beat up conference table.  Shortly before we wrapped up, my boss turned and said, “And for those of you who don’t know: Sarah,” and he gave a huge flourish in my direction, startling even me, “has accepted a fantastic position in the executive office.”

I blushed.  Those words still sound foreign to me.

“We’re very, very proud of her,” he continued.  I looked around at the faces I’ve worked with for 50 hours a week over the past year and a half, many of them visiting my cube daily as a watering hole, all of them having a place guaranteed at my wedding, and many of them treating me as a daughter and a friend.. and I felt a huge surge of pride to be coming from such “good stock.”

And it just. hit. home.

Opportunity is such a sad, scary thing.  Exciting and motivational, yes.. but so much fear for what we don’t yet understand and so much sorrow for what we leave behind.