No good deed.....

When faced with an opportunity to help a fellow human being, many of us try to do what we can. Yet sometimes, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves facing something that we can only conclude is some kind of punishment. Why is it that the very perople or groups that we might be helping are the ones that turn on us and make us regret the effort?
Will I be the one to become cynical and refuse to help people? Will I merely become guarded? Will I shrug it off and get on with being my old self?
Will people the people that I helped ever realize the effect their punishment had on others that I migh have helped, but decided not to because I didn't want to feel their wrath again?

What will it do to me?

My office is in the suburbs. Our company headquarters is downtown in the Loop. I've always liked big cities and have enjoyed being in the hustle and bustle of New York, London, Chicago, Washington (ok, maybe a different kind of hustle in DC), and San Francisco. Every couple of weeks or so I have a meeting downtown and I've rather enjoyed that trip as well. We bought our house partially because it was close to the train station so we could either visit downtown or, if my job chainged, I could easily commute downtown.
There are now rumors swirling that my office may move downtown, and as I walked from the train station to the office, I started to wonder how I would be affected by having an office downtown. Would I become a 'regular' in 'my' seat on 'my' train inbound and outbound? Will I become a commuting zombie with earphones in and the world tuned out? Will I become city-weary after the thrill wears off? Will I get pulled into the after-work cocktail hour that stretches until after the kids go to bed? Will I get pulled into the "just one more e-mail" mentality that will keep me at the office that long? Will I always be the suburbanite at heart who is always like a fish out of water? Will I change and become an urbanite who is out of place back at home in the 'burbs?

I never thought I'd be doing this....

I have always had a lot of thoughts and anyone who knows me knows I seldom keep them to myself. So I figured that I shouldn't just restrict myself to the people within earshot when we have this whole big internet thing to help.

I want to help people think, so I will share my ideas and thoughts and encourage you to respond with thinking.

More to follow.