rested and reflecting

Have been home with the family this weekend. Finally feeling caught up on sleep for the first time since August. Feels good. Strange. But good.

Has also been good to catch up with high school friends here. Was thinking a lot about what life was like in high school and what, at that time, I pictured my life being like in the future. Certainly I don’t think I imagined myself in the spot I am today. But, more than that, I was thinking about the people – my friends – that made high school so great. Similarly, later, I could peg the experience of college to the people. I could peg my work experience to the people. Every time I’ve enjoyed something, it’s usually been because of the people.

Then I got to thinking – how life really is like a series of flash mobs. In the same way that people organize randomly for stunts, gathering instantaneously, performing some gag, and then dispersing. Life is filled with convergences of people. That convergence creates a context or an environment. It is in that environment that experience happens. And then people scatter. And the environment becomes a memory.

All this, I suppose, is a way of reconciling the fact that you can’t really go back to what was. Coming home is great, I love reconnecting with people, I love being at home. But there’s just something different. Age, people, circumstance. Different. Not bad, just different.

Related posts:

  1. readjusting
  2. the importance of boredom
  3. Breaking from the Bubble

November 30, 2008 at 12:05 am | Filed Under general observations, life | View Comments 
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comments

  • Deepak

    Hi, was wondering about it. u seem to have avery hectic schedule at HBS. what i hear from students at other MBA schools, they despise HBS for it. means u dont get time for urself. is HBS all about study?? no friends, fun?? also how do u get time for networking??? such big class do u guys know each other??in hindsight do u think HBS was a good decision or u wud have preferred going to closely knit school like Tuck or yale?

  • http://www.bradleylautenbach.com Bradley Lautenbach

    Hey Deepak – It’s definitely the most hectic schedule I’ve ever had. But I think it’s good experience. It’s definitely not all study… there’re lots of things going on other than class — section social events, clubs, speakers, school wide social events, friends, etc. It’s definitely a big class – but the sections are only 90 people, so your entire first year is spent in close proximity to the same 90 people. Those people become very close and important. The value, I suppose, is that when you graduate, you have 900 potential contacts in the world, should you ever need to leverage the network. Obviously you don’t become friends with all 900 of them, but I’d say I’m surprised at the number of people I know and know well at this point. I haven’t second guessed the decision to come here once since I’ve arrived – but it is true that you need to find the program that is the best fit for you…

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