’Tis that time of year, when the elves at QD set down their chisels, hammers, and stone slates for a week. We’ll be grinning in sweaters and clutching beverages somewhere, like the rest of you. Then we’ll be back, bright and early at the crack of January, to begin another year of reporting on all things quality. And all that sounds fine, but somehow I’m not feeling it. At the moment I’m having myself an unsettled little Christmas.

Being of relatively sound mind and with a bent toward practical action, I decided to treat this distress like any other work problem. So I made a cup of tea, sat down at the computer, and stared out the window while the tea wreathed steam beside me. Ready, set, think. After a bit I realized the unease wasn’t moving from the inside out but rather from the outside in. Usually it’s the other way around. I’m my own worst enemy in most cases but can generally course-correct without much fuss. In this case, however, I was still lost at sea.

Maybe a few 5 Whys were in order? Certainly they couldn’t hurt:
If it’s not you, then why aren’t you feeling it?
Because the atmosphere of the country seems fractured, glum, and uneasy.

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