This has been such a challenging year for me personally and such an unsettling year for everyone.
Whatever your politics you cannot deny the rumbling of change coming. I picture a kind of giant theatre stage with automated backdrops, revolving centre pieces and disappearing props, or a child's puzzle that you fold and fold to reveal a new picture out of the old one.
Ordinarily change excites me but the off-shoots from this scene-change leave me sad and fearful. I have been searching myself to think how to come to terms with this. Carrying on regardless seems an obvious choice. What, after all, is actually different for me this December to last December? My business is thriving. I need staff to manage the growing demand and Cambridge feels like it has it's own bubble of enterprise and wealth. Yet an Asian family round the corner had their taxi set on fire a couple of months ago. My skin colour, my education, my wealth and my nationality might mean I don't experience any changes but that doesn't mean they are not happening.
I have a major anti-establishment-hippy streak in me which wants to run for the hills, live off the land and every other isolating, self enhancing cliche you can think of. I remember a conversation with a Buddhist about what he would do to prevent war and his answer was to meditate. It was a lovely idea to think that in some way his calmness would radiate around him and permeate to the next person who in turn would sit down and meditate, spreading the rings of calmness a bit further, until we were all sitting down and being calm and there was no longer any conflict. I got it, sort of, but I'm not able to believe in it. It's not me. I'm a do-er.
So it is events like our last CWIC meet-up of the year yesterday which give me hope and belief. The 'global situation' is simply too big. I like to think locally, community, one to one. Our group is not a game-changer but it is just one example of how people can bond with one thing in common - being women in the construction industry - and then reach out across so many differences. We were polite, friendly, welcoming, interested, interesting, funny and supportive with each other. This is what the world needs. Thank you everyone.
CWIC End of Year Lunch - Sponsored by Vinci Construction at the Burleigh Arms, Cambridge
