As the publisher/manager of EM4Fish, I prefer to always put contributing writers front-and-center on our website and in our newsletters. It’s you, the people who make up the broader EM4Fish community, that are doing the interesting work after all, and EM4Fish is really just a platform for others to learn about it.
But things don’t always go as intended. Today I had planned to post an article by “Rob” (not his real name), one of those contributing writers who had committed to having his feature article draft to me by 9 AM my time. Instead, Rob’s email said he wouldn’t be able to get it done after all; that he was sorry, his work had stacked up, he didn’t want to do a slap-dash job, etc., etc.
I will admit to being a bit steamed.
And then I got to thinking about what kind of year this has been. Projects delayed, plans canceled, jobs lost. For many, loved ones lost. Most people I know jettisoned their Plan B by April and are rolling out a modified Plan J or K by now. We’ve adjusted, we’ve adapted, we’ve reflected privately and commiserated together. “I need to cut Rob some slack,” I said to myself, and then I thought about that word, slack. My dictionary has its fourth definition as: “(of a tide) neither ebbing nor flowing: soon the water will become slack, and the tide will turn.”
Reading those words helped. It’s been a hell of a year. We’ve gone through a lot and we’re going to go through a lot more. So, with sincere thanks to Rob and to all of you, here’s to a turning tide and to giving others — as well as ourselves — a little slack as we prepare to pull together again in a hopeful New Year.
May your holiday season be safe, warm and restorative.
-SC
