"Variable Winds"

It was to be his final voyage. With his ship moving at full speed and in the proper direction, in 1872 boatman Charles Porter Low wrote, in part, "One who loves the sailing of a ship is always watching for the wind to blow and the wind is never in the same quarter for any length of time.........but in the variable winds, you must have everything ready for bad weather at any time." This wise observation is as applicable today as it was nearly 150 years ago. To paraphrase the full quote from Low, life can go smoothly at times but one must never stop preparing for unexpected turns, particularly ones that force unwanted adjustments and untimely setbacks.

How many times have all of us had plans at work or at home only to have unexpected circumstances occur that cause what we have so carefully set forth go up in smoke? While I have no precise answer to that, without question the number is extremely high. The unexpected represents the essence of life as does the reality that one's path in life is never a straight journey. One variable that helps define our level of success in life, regardless of what role it might be, is how well we have prepared ourselves for the unexpected. How well are we prepared if our child gets sick? How well are we prepared if our car has a flat tire? How well are we prepared if we are laid off from our job? 

Is there a profession or act to which Low's observation applies more than communication? I think not. So many of our days involve attempts to connect with another and then maintain that connection. That two-fold goal encapsulates public relations The PR worker is hired to devise strategies designed to generate the support of others: vote for a candidate, be loyal to a product or even support a cause. Game plans such as these can seem like sure-fire things. But then life in the form of the unexpected - "variable winds" - can insert itself and suddenly the plans are no longer viable or worth following. The better able the professional communicator makes allowance for them, the better able they are to serve their client.