I have had a few days away from the office and it seems to be a good time to reflect. Molly and I traveled to Seattle to check something off her bucket list, whale watching.
I'm not going to share any photos, because they just don't do the experience justice. What I will say is that the entire day was amazing and the perspective gained was timely.
I have been working in local government for nearly 40 years now. I follow several thought leaders here on LinkedIn, and the opinions and ideas on municipal leadership vary considerably. I will do my best to summarize.
We have to take care of our people, manage elected official expectations, maneuver through social media posts, find work life balance and fix everybody's road while we are changing a flat tire on a car going 60 miles per hour and the car is on fire. Is that fair?
I just don't see it that way. And watching for whales brought clarity for me. The waters of Puget Sound are wide, choppy, and cold, yet I felt a deep sense of beauty and the majesty of creation. It was truly AWE-some. We saw birds, seals (or as orcas say, lunch), two separate pods of orcas, and a young humpback whale.
The humpback, according to the marine biologist on board, went from nearly extinct in the 1980's to now more than 2000 today. That was my epiphany.
I get it. Sometimes the trolls are vicious. Everyone has a cell phone, laptop, access to the internet and an opinion, informed or otherwise. We held an open public meeting this week regarding our FY 2027 budget two months before we are required to hold public hearings in response to criticism that we need to be more transparent. Fifteen people showed up (population: 194,000). 15. Another 40 online since we were streaming. 55 people paid attention.
So what does this have to do with whale watching? The world is wide and expansive no matter how small the internet seems to make it. Regardless of the critics, the work that we do in cities and towns, no matter what your role may be, makes a difference in somebody's life each and every day. It has taken 40 years for the humpback to go from almost zero to 2000. That is the constant, steady rhythm of creation.
Even when only 55 people out of 194,000 are paying attention, stay constant. Stay steady. Keep in rhythm. Keep creating. I believe making a difference, even a small difference, in somebody's life is reason enough, at least for me, to keep working through the noise and the chaos. Carry on, good people. Carry on.
"There be whales down here, Captain". - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Editor's Note: The above guest column was penned by Alan Guard, city manager for the City of Brownsville. The column first appeared on Guard's social media pages.
