Epilogue

At work today, there were very many people who checked with me about my well being, and how my car was doing.  I am so grateful that I work with such wonderful people. 

I know that part of the reason is that we are sometimes in very dangerous, or difficult situations. When people share these types of situations, especially repeatedly, they tend to form a bond.  We are not best friends. But we care about each other, and want to protect and help each other.

I was listening to something recently that discussed the psychological impact, on soldiers, of dealing with very dangerous or difficult situations, having no down time, going back to work as usual, and being faced with the possibility or reality of another dangerous or difficult situation. This is a recipe for post traumatic stress disorder.  It is also a recipe for people developing strong bonds with their group. I recognized this as what we have at work.  We do not have to be best friends. But when the chips are down, we are there for each other.

I see that in so many ways: we often have fund raisers to help people who are down on their luck.  My situation is not dissimilar to others who have had problems and need help. The players may vary, but we really are all in it together.  We  recognize and congratulate and celebrate.

This is a great feeling.