I have a good friend at work. We are great friends but have always been in very different places in life. We are like Aesop's fable 'The Town Mouse and Country Mouse'. She is the town mouse and I am the country mouse.
She lives in London, was up until this year single, living the life, whooping it up, out all the time. I am the suburban married, living in the country, 2 kids, part time hours, out maybe once a month if I'm lucky.
Recently though, she has become my boss. Well actually she is now my boss's boss...
When she took the new role, she said that she wanted me to stop hiding my light under a bushel as she was now in a position to influence my 'career'. What a fantastic turn of phrase...I had to look it up; it means to conceal one's talents. You see there was once a time when I was a higher flier than I am now. This doesn't mean I was ever, ever going to be CEO or anything crazy like that, but I was pretty good at what I did, back in the day. Once I had the children, my priorities completely changed.
The point is: I suspect deep down I am happy that my light is under a bushel; that's right where I want it! Sometimes its easier to conceal talents than to have them on show, attracting attention. The more attention, the more demanding the job...so I am laying low, doing my thing but doing it quietly. Because frankly hanging out with these two instead is much more fun...
