Jackie on my shoulder

Had lunch today with a group of senior faculty who know what I mean when I say I've got Jackie on my shoulder. Jackie's been dead for a decade but she still gives us good advice, sitting on our shoulders and telling us to Just say no when we need to protect our time, or telling us to Finish things when we're torn between a ton of different projects, or telling us to Turn off the television when we need to focus on things that matter, and if she'd lived to the current day she'd be telling us to Put away the phone and get back to work.

I realize this makes Jackie sound like a particularly annoying killjoy, but trust me: she knew how to get things done without sacrificing joy. She'd been through all the kinds of grief academe can throw in a scholar's way and emerged victorious and full of insight, which she was always willing to share with younger colleagues. She had a huge impact on the cohort of faculty members who arrived when I did, but the number of people who remember her grows smaller every year.

Now those of us who were sitting around the table today talking about Jackie on our shoulder are stepping into her shoes, finding ways to encourage junior faculty to protect their time and focus their efforts and step up into leadership positions. If someday a colleague blames a good decision on that nagging voice of Bev on her shoulder, my work here will not be in vain.