It seems that a lot of people are into the television show, This is Us. I have been one of ‘a lot of people’ since the show began in 2016.  I know the characters and I learn more about them every time I watch. I somewhat can understand their perspective based on what happened in previous episodes.  Unfortunately, a certain real life character I keep hearing about isn’t so easy to understand. That character’s name is ‘They’.

Let’s start with football.  Yes, that’s an odd place to start, but here goes.  My mother brought up high school football during a recent conversation. Why? I have no idea, but apparently, They filled her in on what happened with the local team and she felt the need to share it with me. Let me be clear-my mother hasn’t had a perspective on high school football since all of her family members got out of it many years ago. But suddenly, They got her back into it. She went on and on and said things like, “They said, ‘the team should have ran a different play’ and ‘the team won’t be any good next year.’”  After her dissertation about what They said, I felt that I knew They’s perspective pretty well so I asked, “Who is They?”

Aside from impacting my mother’s perspective on something I couldn’t care less about, They also influenced what happened at work. Over the past 5 years, They has come up at many meetings and during crucial conversations about providing a quality product.  It seems that a lot of people know They because her or she is mentioned in nearly every meeting. I hear people say, “They said we can’t do that” and “They said we should stop using that.”  It got to the point where They had a lot of power yet was like the Wizard of Oz hanging out behind the curtain, pulling all the strings, and not taking responsibility for any of the pulling. All of that really sticks in my craw.  And I don’t care what you say, ‘sticks in my craw’ is a fabulously funny saying that fits perfectly in this part of my story. Anyway, after hearing so much about They at work I finally asked, “Who in the hell is They?  Well, in all honesty, I didn’t say it quite like that. Although, I thought something more along the lines of another four-letter word that rhymes with truck, but I am a professional and would never say such a word at a meeting-at least not out loud.  Truth be told, I asked, “Who is They?”

After watching They’s work in action for some time now, I’ve learned a few things about this character. First, I don’t know They, but They gets around, knows a lot of people, and knows some of the same people that I know. Second, They seems to know a lot that influences perspective at home and work, and is invisible to me but not to the people who quote him or her. Third, when someone knows They, they never share their true perspective because they’re always sharing what They said. Let’s just say that I’ve had enough of They. So hey They, take a lesson from This is Us, and show me a little more of who you are with every episode so I can quit asking, “Who is They?” and not getting an answer.