I've just been thinking a lot, thanks to the fork in the road I'm faced with in my own career. Except the fork in question looks like one of those multiple weiner-roasting trees advertised in seeking ltr with right woman camping departments. I'm finding more and more a need to choose carefully my compatriots, whether at work or in life in general based on having that much-ballyhooed examined life. While I don't doubt most people are just doing their best, I'm definitely hitting a variety of limits when it comes to dealing with people who move like tornados, where they blow in and just leave a trail of wreckage in their wake. This is in contrast with people who enter unfazed, assess the situation, and start putting things aright. I also find myself paying very close attention to exactly what it is I have to share and contribute, and requiring the same awareness from those around me. Seems obvious, but it s into question how best to manage various relationships while still maintaining personal integrity and an open hand in dealings with others. And while most people are never % either/or, I do find myself asking: Are you a tornado or a sphere of calm? Are you a giver or a taker? If I help you and always give you my best, you be there for me as well? Lord knows I've had lots of occasion lately to just flat out say "It's time to grow up and make decisions as befits a functional adult." But I can't do that, so I have to find other ways to deal with what's on my plate, while doing my best to do right by those who recognize the importance of giving, and what's being given.