The Art of War

A few weeks ago I alluded to a big PR project that I have been working on. It's a good project, and a challenging project and it's been going quite well. I think I realized during the course of it that I've been taking on a lot of easy work lately that doesn't challenge me as much as it could. Easy work is great, but it's the challenges that make you remember what you're capable of.

Work isn't the only thing that can remind you of exactly what you're capable of. There are other challenges that can do the same. As a freelancer, most of my working time is spent alone. There are occasional conference calls, chats and even the occasional local meeting. Most of the people I come into contact with are family members, a few close friends and a few colleagues. While there are always people who can be slightly annoying, who do weird things that you can't understand or piss you off, it's rare for me to have a true enemy.

I have an enemy. The word enemy is tossed around too lightly sometimes. Someone who cuts you off in traffic is not an enemy. Someone who steals your lawnmower is not your enemy. When all of the annoyance, anger and frustration that you have floating around your mind concentrates itself into a narrow beam, focusing itself into the tiny crosshairs through which you view this person, that is your enemy.

My enemy is crafty and well protected, for now. Unfortunately for him, he has no idea who he has chosen for an enemy. He sees me as a 5'-tall woman who is out of shape and fairly loud. That may be true, but in battle, it's not a question of size. It's a question of scale. Attitude makes all the difference in battle, and those crosshairs are narrowed into knifepoints. There is no possible chance that my enemy will escape them with no repercussions.

While my work is now challenging my mind, modern vengeance is often the same. It's rarely a physical confrontation anymore. It often comes down to contacting the right people, keeping records and being persistent in filing complaints and asking for change. In this case, I have the feeling that this may go beyond the current forms of suburban warfare that most people are accustomed to. I've completely ignored my own physical fitness over the last few years because I've been busy and just haven't cared. I care now. I'm getting into shape in case I must defend my position with my own bare hands. And I can. Though I could take him now if he attempts to cross me again, it would be so much more satisfying to really do it right. I'm coming, enemy. I'm coming.