Monday Morning (Fleetwood Mac)

"Monday morning you sure look fine. Friday I got travelin' on my mind. First you love me, and then you fade away. You know, I can't go on believin' this way..."

These words open my favorite Fleetwood Mac song. Now, Fleetwood Mac is not a band that has made the classic rock playlists in a huge way. A couple of Stevie Nciks songs, maybe, but in general they are not in much rotation. And this song, from their eponymous 1975 album, almost never gets airtime. I know some old-school Fleetwood Mac fans don't like anything released after, oh, 1970, but this album was fabulous, and the opening song was, and is, totally engaging, with a good, head-bopping stutter beat.

And since I am starting my playlist on a Monday, it kept coming back to mind. So, what's the song about? It's about being at the mercy of someone who is fickle. It's about how quickly a perspective can change. It's about trying to bob and weave with the whims of others - or even with those of a world - where you have no control. Um, HELLO!

When I listen to this song I do think of personal relationships, but I also think of what's happening around us in DC. I think about the 2,000 additional folks who will soon lose their jobs at AOL. This is on the heels of so much previous carnage, so many changes, that former executives are shaking their heads and wondering what the heck happened to the culture of AOL. Well, that's an easy answer. Time Warner happened to AOL, at the request of AOL's founders and former leaders. What were they really expecting?

I also look at my alma mater, FannieMae. Don't get me wrong - I had a great ride at FannieMae, worked with some of the smartest, most talented and committed people I know. But in my day there, lots and lots of people were "lifers." Not so any more. Last week I had lunch with a friend and former colleague who had been informed the day before that after 20 years (she started right out of college), that her job had been "eliminated." And while I feel for her, and anyone else who gets that news, I have to scream out loud - "ARE YOU REALLY SURPRISED?" I mean, the company has been bleeding people, talent and, unfortunately, its mission, for a couple of years now.

So what? Many of my friends probably think that, given my somewhat liberal bent, I would be railing against these companies. Or against a lover changing his/her mind. Actually, not so. Karma is real, and those who have taken the more "evil" path will have their moment to atone. But getting dragged down into either side of these "he said, she said" arguments is just wasted energy. Or to quote Yao-Man, from last season's Survivor, "Love many, trust few, harm none."

I guess the point is this - at the end of the day, you have to own your life, assume nothing is a given, and be confident in your path.

"Got to get some peace in my mind."