Word of the Day--Not What I Expected

The first of the year had come and gone without a single story to post for 2018. Not that I haven't had many ideas and topics come to mind but at this point in life things just get in the way.  Until now. I have been on the fast track since the first day of 2018. Doing more than I sometimes can handle, and other times wondering why I put myself out in life the way I do.  I guess it is just in my nature, the way I was raised and probably at this point in my life it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Since I can remember I have never done anything really in my life half-assed to put it mildly.  I was that way with figure skating. It is a sport in which you have to work over and over and over again. You fall, you get back up and you do it again. Let's face it a sport not for the faint at heart. Just remember the Olympics are only a few short days away you will understand if you watch even one day of it.  I am sure the drama will unfold within the first day of events.  Even with all that it was my sanctuary even with all the drama

So with all the situations I have been thrown into whether by choice or by default it was a little bothersome when after a short conversation with someone today a word and her definition of it really resonated with me: moldable.

Again my first thought went to figure skating. I saw many individuals either younger, my age or older try to find some sort of success in the skating world. Many did and others sadly did not. Commitment is a big part of it along with of course the funds to do so. You really can't have one without the other. If you watched any of the recent figure skating Nationals, questions and no answers were being thrown left and right about the judging verses the moves completed. The final outcome had many scratching their heads for answers including some of the all time greats voicing their confusion of the sport and where it is today.

Sadly, the conversation we were speaking of was in the health care field.  When she said the word moldable, frankly it was the first time I had heard it used in this context.  When I questioned what she meant she said she was told that today employers are looking for young, moldable people who don't question anything, go with the flow.  Basically: Don't Rock the Boat. Really?  When I looked up the word, most of the definitions referred to plastic, clay, wax or inanimate objects.  Do these employers follow the news? Social Media? The World as a Whole?  What are we saying to society as a whole with this usage of the word. 

Today, even figure skaters work with a variety of different people usually young and old in hopes of making their skating experience the best that they can and learning different techniques and observing how history has helped evolve the sport today.  Not everyone can be an Olympian. It is a high expectation only few can really achieve.  Are we now at a point in society where working is only for the faint at heart as well?

I have a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that 2018 is going to bring many moments of looking up words that have different meanings. Just add this to my growing to do list that goes on and on and on.