chips

Take you back 4 weeks…

“Kitson leaves to go fishing” – screamed the papers. (Ok it was shouted, ok whispered and well a few papers- well ok Insurance ones).

“You’re not going fishing are you…that’s a lie…it must be”…came the email traffic.

“You’ll be back anyway…You’ll miss the cut and thrust…if not the money…!”

“Were you sacked? that’s the rumour…”

So 4 weeks ago…I was inundated…

“No one just packs it in.  Not at your level”…

“I don’t believe that guff  ’spending more time with your family’…that’s a smokescreen”…

“Sorry you’re going…so what other job have you got lined up?”…

Yawn says I…cynicism rules said I…I don’t do talk and no action (well that’s what I like to think). So it’s true. Riverbank here I come. And hey…headlines get written; stories get spun…so you have to repeat, repeat, repeat.

And then cynicism comes again…

“Surely you’re not surprised at the cynicism John.” 

“Ok so Insurance Times were nice about you… no wonder the money Aviva spent with them…”

“How did you manage to carry favour with the Editor of Professional Broking so well!…Oh you did an Aviva special. That must have done it…”

(Cheers …)

Cynicism rules…and 2 weeks later…

“So John, you’ve got out of the kitchen…any career tips coz I can’t stand my job.” (not an Aviva person I hasten to add)…

And then they flooded in…

“I want to leave…how do I plan for it?”

“I moan about everything here but don’t ever do anything about it…got a tip?”

“Can I come and hold your rods?”

“Got any advice because I’m jealous”

“Give me some homilies please…I need a change”

“Give me a bag of clichés to help”…

Well I have a sack load of clichés…trouble is they are what they are; clichés…individually easy to say, but difficult to get meaning from and then only a grain of truth…maybe collectively a small bag of grain…

But after 2 weeks, I had been inundated with questions/looks of distrust/pleas for advice/clichés…

…here today gone tomorrow…you only have one life…work to live…money makes the world go round…don’t be the wealthy guy in the graveyard…the grass is rarely greener just a different shade of yellow…a headline today is fish and chip paper tomorrow…when the going gets tough…life’s what you make it…

Of course the fish and chip paper line is so true…

So fast forward 4 weeks…

“Mayer leaves for America. Hodges comes to the fore”, screams the papers.

The questions to me quickly shift from cynicism; to advice; to…

“Have you got Marks telephone number?”

“Would Mark mind if I emailed him…and have you got his email address?”

“Haven’t you gone yet John?”