A corkscrew, a new job and a lesson on life

Three weeks ago, while enjoying a glass of wine at the elegant marble bar of a restaurant, I found myself listening to the anxiety of the 19-year-old server asking for help uncorking a pricy bottle for a table that had requested “bottle service.”

She was terrified of breaking the cork halfway (but then, aren’t we all?). The bartender loosened the cork enough so that the server would be able to pull it out with a flourish for her table with no one the wiser.

That very same day, I had started a new job – this job – and I had my own career anxieties that I’ve been grappling with for the few months I’ve waited for it to begin. It’s a new, higher-level role for me than my previous one of many years covering the home medical equipment industry – a far different animal than security systems.

For people not in the business of journalism, I’ve likened it to living and working in Spain and mastering Spanish to an abrupt move to France, with new players, a new way of doing things and a new language.

Fortunately, as I have stumbled my way through the past three weeks, I’ve found the security industry both welcoming and full of passionate people who are only too happy to explain things to me.

I’m tasked with many things in this role, including a fresher, more colorful look to the publication, beefing up legislative and regulatory coverage (I doubt the security industry has anything on the level of health care, but we’ll see), and building out SSN’s relationships with you, the reader.

If you want to talk, I’m all ears and easily accessible. What do you wish SSN would cover? What keeps you up at night? Hit me up at tflaherty@securitysystemsnews.com.

As to that server with the corkscrew? She doesn’t know it, but she was a valuable reminder that we all have to keep challenging ourselves to learn and grow, and for her, I’m sure the stakes felt just as high.

Cheers to a new chapter!