Have you ever played the game where someone gives you a word and you say the first word(s) that come into your mind? For example: I say “Sky” you say “Blue.” You say “Sky” I say “Cloud.” Same word, but two different thoughts. No one thought is more right than the other. I don’t say my word is better than yours, nor do you think your word is better than mine. We can think differently, but still get along.

I’m afraid this simple game illustrates a huge problem we’re facing today. If you and I disagree in today’s society, one of us must be wrong. That’s just not true. But that is what is happening. When two ideas or thoughts are divergent that just means we are both independent thinkers. One viewpoint or another should not shout down the other viewpoint until the loudest voice wins. But that is what is happening.

• Handling the pandemic was one example of this discord and disconnect. We didn’t need to shut down every state or every city in every state, but we did. Montana was treated just like New York. There were 20 cases in Montana and no deaths. But the state is suffering economically because of this myopic treatment. We could have used more common sense and a focused strategy, but instead the loudest voices won out and everything, everywhere shutdown.
• Then when it was time to open back up, if you were in favor of opening stores, shops and restaurants than you must be someone who wanted people to die. If you wanted to keep things shut down than you wanted to cripple America long-term and destroy small businesses. There was no middle ground. In reality, middle ground and common sense should have prevailed. Unfortunately, it did not.

One more example of how this disconnect is crippling America. The mainstream media should be able to present both sides of a story, but they don’t any more.

Case in point: When Senator Tom Cotton was asked to pen an op-ed in the New York Times he was presenting a viewpoint not usually appearing in the NYT. A day didn’t pass before the NYT was retracting the story due to internal upheaval. Senator Cotton is now asking the NYT to provide data showing him what wasn’t true in his op-ed. Everything he said was true. But that doesn’t seem to matter to the media. The loudest voice won out again.

Here are a few of my own divergent thoughts:

• You don’t have to agree with everything the President says or does and still be a supporter of conservative policies.
• I don’t think face masks are the safest way to protect yourself from Covid-19. However, if a business requests I wear one to enter, than I will gladly do so. I want to support their desire to make a living.
• There are no levels of integrity; you either have it or you don’t. Either stealing a grocery store item or embezzling thousands of dollars indicate you have an integrity problem.
• Speaking of integrity, it’s okay to admit when you make a mistake. People have such a difficult time admitting when they make a mistake. They have no idea what a freeing feeling it is. Politicians could really benefit from learning this lesson. Sadly, instead they all seem to subscribe to the same theory: “Just keep fabricating and eventually people will believe it’s the truth.”
• I am sickened by the manner in which George Floyd died. I am equally sickened by the way David Dorn died. Both deaths were taped. One man spent a percentage of his life in prison. The other man spent a majority of his life protecting citizens as a law enforcement professional. One man is being lauded as a martyr/hero. The other man is a footnote/after thought. We should grieve and mourn equally for both men. But the media narrative doesn’t allow that to happen in America.
• I’ve always admired those who lead by example. Those who walk their talk with action. People who could/can listen to both sides. It seems to me this is a rare commodity in today’s world. When gentlemen like Buck and Frank and David Dorn pass away, I long to find people to take their place.
• I’m so tired of hollow rhetoric, regurgitated catch-phrases and “gotcha” questions. None of these things lead to common sense dialogue and middle ground conversations. All they do is attempt to tear down individuals and forge a greater and greater chasm in society.

We owe it to one another to take action, listen with an open mind, use common sense, tell the truth, search for what we agree about on an issue or problem and find the common ground. Only then will we be able to make progress for everyone.

Until next time…

I remember the first day it happened. I awoke looked into the bathroom mirror and didn’t recognize the reflection. Who was that old man looking back at me? I didn’t feel as old as I looked. That morning occurred more than 10 years ago.

I always had thought I looked younger than my years. That all changed when I turned 39. I don’t like to celebrate my birthday so I was keeping things low key around the office. Walking down the corridor I ran into a couple of people, one of which wished me a happy birthday. I said “thank you” and began to walk away. The other person said, “How old are you?” Being an open book I said “39.” The questioner’s response, “No, really, how old are you?” I started to laugh and said, “How old do you think I am?”

“Forty-seven?” was the reply. My heart sank. The person tried to rationalize their guess, but I didn’t buy their explanation. My “Dick Clark” syndrome was over and never again did I feel I looked younger than my years.

Nowadays it seems a different person is looking back at me on a regular basis. And since 39 was so long ago it doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m hearing a great deal about my appearance recently. Some people may think it’s nagging, but it’s just every day conversation to me.

• Why don’t you let the neighbor give you a haircut?
• Can you see how curly your hair is in the back?
• Aren’t you going to shave today?
• Did you take a shower today? You look dirty.

My replies are almost always courteous.

• My hair hasn’t looked this good since the 70’s.
• I can’t see the back of my head and I don’t have the flexibility to turn that far around.
• No, I’ll shave in a day or two.
• I jumped into the lake, does that count?

Bob Dylan was right when he sang, “The times they are a-changin.”

These are indeed interesting times and I don’t think we will ever go back to the way things were before.

Like most people around the country I haven’t been traveling so I haven’t seen a great many folks for quite some time. There are several people I’d enjoy seeing. It’s been between three and six years since I’ve been face to face with dear friends. I wonder what they look like in their mirrors.

Zoom, Blue Jeans, and Face Time have enabled some connections. But it’s not the same as face-to-face. When there is more than one other person connected the delay causes frustration and you invariably step on each other’s conversations. The current Progressive commercials do a great job of illustrating the problems with these helpful, yet challenging, software applications.

As I have done several times in the past, I encourage people to reach out to one another. Let someone know you’re thinking about them. Let them know you care about them. Most people I know appreciate the effort and it will bring a smile to their face to know you cared enough to extend the hand of friendship.

Interesting times? Yes. But also there is no doubt these are trying times. Worry, anxiety, illness, depression, economic uncertainty and a plethora of other challenges can easily move into one’s head and may have signed a long term lease. These type of negative thoughts need to be evicted from one’s mind as quickly as possible. One way to help remove the negativity is to find support in others. Whether it’s a neighbor, co-worker, counselor, long lost friend or significant other take the time to make the connection.

When you look in the mirror tomorrow morning I hope you’ll like the reflection you see. I also wish it will cause you to pause and reflect on who you want to reach out to next. My guess is you will be glad you connected whether that person needs a haircut or not. And they will be glad you made the effort as well.

Until next time…

Yesterday, my sainted mother turned 90. She and my dad have been married more than 72 years. My dad is now 90 and six months. I tried to find some statistics to see the rarity of their longevity. The closest thing I could find was a stat showing only 20 married couples in the world are currently married for 80 years or more. Despite not finding any facts, I do believe this is an incredible feat. By the way, my mom still takes care of their home, bakes all the time and makes three meals a day.

Numbers and statistics have always held my interest. I still know Stan Musial had a lifetime batting average of .331. I recall in 1968, Bob Gibson has an earned run average (ERA) of 1.12. Still a record to this day. Some stats and facts just stick in my head.

I mentioned a few days ago that I’ve stopped looking at Pandemic numbers because they aren’t reliable and they vary so much. I haven’t really changed that stance, but I came across some interesting statistics that tell a story. A story just starting to be told. Not by the media, but by ordinary citizens. People, who like me, have an affinity for numbers and facts.

The state of Illinois is ranked fourth in the country in number of Covid-19 cases. In one particular county there are 95 cases. The population of that county is approximately 171,500. That extrapolates to 0.00104373 chance of contracting the virus. Despite this revealing statistic, the entire state is still in lockdown and schools are canceled for the remainder of the school year. I was told there have been 84 recoveries. Seems to me it would make more sense to quarantine the people who have not recovered and let the 171,490 get back to doing what they were doing before the lockdown.

In the state of North Carolina, there are 11,509 cases and a population of about 10.4 million. That extrapolates to 0.001106634 chance of contracting the virus. Sadly the entire state is still on lock down. In the county I live in their are 137 cases. The population is around 101,000. That extrapolates to 0.00135643. A larger percentage than the state, but still very slight. And the fact that more than half the cases are confined to nursing homes makes the risk even less. Again, quarantine the at-risk individuals, continue the hand washing and the scientifically beneficial measures and let the 100,000+ get back to life as we knew it.

Recently, two urgent care doctors from Kern County, California held a press conference to share their statistics. They were challenged by the media at the press conference and did a nice job of explaining their facts. Nevertheless their press conference video was removed from YouTube the next day. According to YouTube it was removed because they were telling people it was time to get back to work and that opinion is contrary to the WHO/CDC guidelines.

These doctors were dealing with numbers and with science. Science is telling the doctors that healthy people stuck in their homes generate weakened immune systems that will be far more susceptible to viruses once they go out into the world. People who are not working become depressed, experience increased anxiety and in some cases become suicidal. They sit confined at home and wonder how they will pay their rent, mortgage, car payments, utility bills or feed their families. These are facts of science and supported by numbers.

Elected officials need to understand these numbers as well. At this point they appear to be ignoring numbers and statistics that are readily available and frankly tell the real story of this “pandemic.” There will be a thousand stories connected to this outbreak in the months and years to come. Right now the story of the day is the amount of fear that has promulgated a larger portion of society and the media leveraging that fear to fill air time. The problems associated with the virus have become far greater than the virus.

The people who have died is beyond tragic. Whether they died “with” Covid-19 or “from” it is a huge question, but almost irrelevant to my point. My point is despite the number of deaths and cases being magnified by media scoreboards the data doesn’t support a continued lock down. It is only making things worse for everyone.

And to think I haven’t even discussed the trillions of dollars congress is allocating. Dollars that aren’t even going to help those out of work, out of health care, child care and food. That’s a story for another day.

My 95 year old friend George told me it was time to get back to work a month ago. He was right then and he is even more right today.

Until next time…

It seems like we are in the midst of a “House of Mirrors” at the county carnival. Just when we think we are heading out of this maze we hit a wall. The glass may appear transparent, but it is anything but. We hear the numbers have peaked and its time to restart the economy, yet many governors are extending their “shelter-in-place” orders even further. Some even into June. These governors are either power hungry or do not understand economics or the psychology of isolation.

Checks are hitting bank accounts, but most stores aren’t open to go spend the money. Many are saving it for their rent or mortgage payment. I can’t help but wonder how many of the 22 million unemployment claims will continue into the summer. From my research, some of the unemployed have received their checks and are now making more money than they were when they worked. I realize this is a temporary situation, but try telling that to the people who are getting the funds.

The shelter-in-place was supposed to flatten the curve and take care of our seniors and those at risk. It has now been taken to extremes. Many of these policy makers have no idea they are violating the constitution, religious and civil liberties of American citizens. Or maybe they do and don’t care. Someone needs to tell them before more constitutional lawyers bring even more lawsuits. Some elected officials who aren’t up for re-election in November may think their constituents will forget how their rights were trampled come their election day. I don’t think they will.

I personally have quit checking the scoreboard. The numbers seem unreliable. And when I see the numbers for flu and pneumonia are down I have to believe it’s because the coding of a deceased is being made as COVID-19 if the person dies with COVID-19. The operative word being “with” not “from.” With that kind of logic, if you die in a traffic accident and the autopsy shows you had COVID-19 then you would be coded as dying from it instead of from the auto accident.

Unfortunately the panic and hysteria hasn’t subsided. I know people who can leave their homes, but don’t. They are afraid they will die if they leave their home. They don’t realize their panic has turned them into a prisoner in their own home. Others won’t touch their mail for a week. Then it has to be disinfected. This is not the kind of behavior we want in America.

Some are taking drastic measures to obtain some incremental freedom. Driving across state lines to go golfing or to a park to play catch with their kids. Many are driving by themselves to church services in their respective church parking lots. Each of these examples have ended up with tickets or arrests for these Americans.

We need to get the kids back in school. But it doesn’t appear that will happen. So no graduations and no proms. What happens to moving to the next grade level? Some schools want to give every child an “A” and move them to the next grade level. Does that make sense for the child? Where are the kids who get two meals each school day from their local school now getting their meals? What will parents do for child care when the economy reopens and they get their jobs back?

I applaud all the businesses who have taken effective and intelligent mitigation measures. They are proving we can open our economy where it makes sense to do so. We can keep employees safe and meet the needs of their customers.

We must find a balance between healthy living and a healthy economy. I’m washing my hands regularly. I order food from local restaurants to do my part for the local economy. Spending most of my day outside in the sunshine lifts my spirits and I hear it’s good for reducing the threat of the virus. Like most Americans I’m finding projects to do and I’m completing them.

I used to enjoy the carnival. The cotton candy, corn dog and elephant ear were tasty treats. But I understood the pitfalls of the midway games and the rides that weren’t nearly as fun as they appeared. The House of Mirrors was a maze I tried to stay away from because I got tired of thinking I was on my way out only to hit my head on another transparent glass. I never liked that feeling and I don’t like to feel that way now. Neither do millions of Americans whose rights are being violated daily.

Until next time…

As a 12 year old, like most 12 year old boys, I admired many celebrities from afar. From the silver screen, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman and John Wayne. From television, Red Skelton, Johnny Carson, James Arness and Andy Griffith. Many were athletes, always St. Louis Cardinal baseball players. Baseball and everything associated with baseball consumed my spare time. Collecting cards, playing Strat-o-Matic or most often, playing baseball.

When I was 12 we would play our organized games at the local school yard. We had a supervisor who wore a bright yellow t-shirt. We knew he was the “supervisor” because it said so on the back of his shirt. The supervisor was an imposing, square-jawed, college-age man. Each morning he lugged the faded canvas bag of equipment in one hand and a folding lawn chair in his other hand from his car to the ball field. He would dump out the equipment which included bats, balls, catcher’s gear and the bases near the pitcher’s mound. Then he would unfold his chair behind the pitcher’s mound and the game would commence. I looked up to that supervisor because he knew a lot about baseball, helped others improve and was a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.

As years went by, I would occasionally run into the supervisor and his relatives. I never stopped admiring him and his relatives. Not surprisingly he became a very successful coach. Very successful. His younger brother followed in his footsteps. He became a top-notch, multi-sport athlete and later a coach as well. I never knew their father, but I suspect his competitive spirit, humility and athletic skills molded his sons.

As an adult, I moved away and completely lost touch with this family. While living in Indiana in the 90’s, I watched the Illinois High School basketball tournament on television. I watched my former supervisor win a State Title with my supervisor’s brother serving as assistant coach. That was more than 25 years ago, but I remember it because I was proud of his success.

As luck would have it, I was able to reconnect with the supervisor and even played golf with him a time or two. I ended up working in the same building with his younger brother. We also played golf together and became friends.

Why am I sharing all these details of a 12 year old boy and a summer league baseball supervisor that very likely didn’t even remember me? Let me tell you.

Life went on with me as it did for these two guys. The supervisor and his brother each married, had children, stayed in the same community, and gave back to the school who had meant so much to them. They experienced success, health issues and unthinkable tragedy. While I was moving around the country and had lost track of them, I never knew what they had been dealing with in their lives. When we reconnected neither of them shared their personal issues or terrible loss with me.

In hindsight, that doesn’t surprise me at all. First it’s not the kind of thing that comes up as you’re walking down a fairway. Second, these two guys and their families aren’t the kind to bring attention to themselves. Their success, health issues and tragedies have always been dealt with humility, modesty and privacy.

Coincidentally, I reconnected with my former co-worker earlier this week. It was a brief exchange, but so good to connect.

Not surprisingly, just today, I ran across a story about this man and a tragedy of monumental proportion he and his wonderful, close-knit family dealt with 28 years ago. Of course there was no mention of this story during our exchange. The story was about the loss of their 12 year old son. I can’t imagine getting through something like that. I really can’t. But, as a family, they did. The entire family has turned this unthinkable loss into a triumph of the human spirit by honoring, celebrating and learning from what this special 12 year old taught them all.

I’ve been blessed and feel fortunate to have admired these two men from afar for more than 50 years. They made a difference in the life of this 12 year old boy and in turn their own 12 year old boy made a difference in their lives. And is still doing so. What a blessing.

Until next time…

For some reason songs have been meandering through my ears this weekend. I must admit it has taken my mind off the kaleidoscope life we have all been living. My life feels pretty normal. I hope yours does as well.

It’s not until I head to the super market or come upon something like Holy Week that weirdness replaces normalcy. Watching Easter Services on a laptop unfortunately pales in comparison to live music and the story of the resurrection.

I quit counting statistics. They are unreliable, horribly tainted, and create more questions than answers. It takes me back to my days as a strategic planner and remember “The checker gets what the checker checks.” In other words you want to tell a story, manipulate the facts, then build and prove your story to be true.

So instead of checking the stats, I just keep counting the days and allowing my mind to wander. Historically, I’ve had little problem allowing my mind to wander and my imagination to run rapidly. I suspect most people have the same brain wandering ability.

As I mentioned when I opened, songs have been playing in my mind for days. Songs such as:

• Terry Jacks – Seasons in the Sun
• America – Lonely People
• Sonny and Cher – The Beat Goes On
• The Sandpipers – Come Saturday Morning
• Peter, Paul and Mary – I Dig Rock n Roll Music
• Bangles – Just another Manic Monday
• Bread – Diary
• Jim Croce – Photographs and Memories
• Seals and Croft – We May Never Pass This Way Again
• Gloria Estefan – Coming Out of the Dark
• Ronnie Milsap – I wouldn’t Have Missed it for the World
• Barry Manilow – Somewhere Down the Road

That’s a dozen of the many I have either heard recently or popped in my head from out of nowhere. Yes, I listen to an “oldies/easy listening” station. If you haven’t heard these songs recently, or at all, I’d encourage you to check them out. Music is, after all, the memories of our lives. It may help you get through another day. And certainly another Monday that very likely won’t be so manic.

One of the highlights of this special day was a phone call I made this morning. It was to my friend George. I’ve blogged about George in the past. Today was not only Easter, it was also George’s birthday. He turned 95 today!

He still works seven days of every fortnight. Never does he takes time off. George received several emails from his co-workers and I believe food and sweets were dropped off for him today. He wrote an email reply to everyone and as usual he made a salient point.

“Thanks to all,” he said. Then quickly followed those three words with, “Let’s get back to work!”

Five words that likely echoed the sentiment of millions of Americans across the country. George, at 95, is eager to get back to a normal life. I think he is running out of crossword puzzles to do. He wants to get back to his job and to continue making a difference in the lives of people he touches.

Despite the regulations being parroted nationally, George’s position and that of his co-workers is “essential” to his employer. And George himself is quintessential in the role he plays.

If only we could get politicians and mainstream media to listen to George. As always, his advice and counsel is sage.

We all need to get back to work, put panic in its place and enjoy our lives.

Happy birthday George! And many more!

Until next time…

We all seem to have extra time on our hands these days. Fortunately, my days are going just as quickly as they always have. The world may be careening off its axis, but I didn’t buy a ticket for that ride.

I’ve reduced my viewership of the news. Frankly, it’s nearly impossible to avoid with every social media entity blasting things out on an hourly basis. Then you need to decide who or what to believe.

Some neighbors and relatives say “You must believe the doctors and the science.” I do to a point, but it’s hard to follow them blindly when they say one thing one month and do a complete 180 the next month. Than their predictions are wildly established. When pressed on their predictions their response is “our modeling is only as good as the data we receive.” Heck, I used to say the same things about my decisions when questioned in hindsight.

Gone are the days of bi-partisan politics and unbiased reporting. All factions seem to have their own agendas. Which is really tragic when you think we are trying to prevent death.

The main stream media (MSM) act as if they are experts on everything when in essence they know very little just about everything. They parrot what others say. When they proven wrong, they never apologize or look back. They know their error will be forgotten in time.

Actually the MSM doesn’t have a corner on that market. Politicians behave the same way. They go down one rabbit hole after another. Come up with dirt on their faces, shake it off and head down another rabbit hole. They aren’t looking for carrots. Actually they are more like gophers destroying the earth and everything around it as they go from hole to hole. Many of them have no self-awareness or shame for that matter.

Ok, enough of this talk. It appears as though I’m having withdrawal from an “Editorial” post I just completed this morning.

Here are some things I know for sure.

• Things were less chaotic before social media.
• I don’t need Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Television, but I appreciate the access provided by the internet.
• I trusted what I heard 40 years ago more than I do now.
• What am I saying, I don’t trust anything I hear nowadays.
• I’m certain the children of my children are learning more being home-schooled than when they were attending classes daily.
• I like the way people seem to be reaching out across the country to long lost friends and relatives. It’s always a treat to hear a familiar voice.
• The sun is a powerful healing star
• If you hold your breath for ten seconds and don’t cough you are healthy
• Every job is essential if it’s yours
• I don’t want to wear a mask. Mainly because I’d rather sneeze in my elbow then into my own face.
• I also don’t believe people are smiling beneath their masks and that’s sad.
• My heart goes out to everyone who has lost someone from the pandemic. My heart also goes out to everyone who has lost someone to flu, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, respiratory failure, cerebrovascular disease, kidney disease, and suicide. There is nothing worse than losing a loved one.
• Anyone helping to combat this pandemic, be they medical providers, military personnel, grocery store employees, the neighbor who sewed you a face mask and the thousands of CDC and government employees are all angels of mercy on earth and I pray we never forget all they have done.

Until next time…

Where to begin? So much to say and so much time to say it. What feelings, emotions, or thoughts are you having? I think it would be therapeutic to share them.

• The Media is driving this COVID-19 narrative.

From the outset the slippery slope went something like this:

If we don’t shut things down the government will look like they are uncaring and deaf to the plight of the sick and ailing. If we shut everything down and “shelter-in-place” the economy will tank and it will take years to recover. Because of this media driven narrative, hysteria and panic took center stage. This led to hoarding and poor irrational decision-making. It became a chain event. All states began following the decisions of states like Washington, California and New York who were most affected.

Facts and rational thinking were bowled over by decision-makers hell-bent on protecting everyone. When in fact, only a small percentage of people were at high-risk. I’ve heard doomsday figures as high as a million Americans will die from this virus. Maybe that is accurate, but at this point we don’t know and putting out those kind of scenarios does little to nothing to help the situation. What it does is make the panic greater than the initial problem. Panic breeds panic. It always has.

• Our legislators know little about economics, medicine, or healthcare. They know even less about leadership

Rahm Emanuel’s quote “You never let a serious crisis go to waste” appears to be the mantra of many. One would think “Identity Politics” would take a back seat during this time, but it doesn’t appear to have done so. Not at all. Instead name calling, fear mongering, and political blackmail have taken the place of bi-partisan, patriotic decision making.

I’m not saying the packages and legislation is right or wrong, but restraining legislation with irrelevant regulations, or pork barrel and pet projects is not the way to address a stimulus package. The actions of members of congress is disgraceful and shameful. There is not and likely will not, be any accountability for their actions. In true political fashion finger-pointing and second guessing is the preferred method of problem solving.

Legislators and leaders at both the federal and state levels need to understand the ramifications of their decisions before those decisions are made. Making decisions based on doomsday scenarios and what another locale is doing leads to further calamity and hysteria. There has to be a balance between the health of our citizens and the economic health of our country.

• We are not focused on the “hot spots”

As I mentioned earlier, all the states have followed the lead of the states most affected. This sheep-like leadership isn’t strategic nor rational. Why would a state with less than 500 cases shut down schools, restaurants and businesses in every county of every state? Some may say “to keep the cases from going to 1000 or 2000.” I contend if we focus on the “hot spots” this wouldn’t happen.

A state with “hot spots” should focus on the those areas. Seattle in Washington, Chicago in Illinois, San Francisco and Los Angeles in California, and of course New York which accounts for about six percent of all cases thus far. Every state has major population centers. We should be focusing efforts on those areas and keeping people sequestered in and away from those areas. Social distancing appears to be working and it can work without shutting everything down everywhere.

• We are boiling the ocean

Speaking of hot spots, trying to ensure no one gets the virus is truly a “boiling the ocean” style strategy. Fifteen days will not be enough time to stop this virus. Five months may not be enough time. If we trust information coming from southeast Asia it will be anywhere from 6-12 weeks to see a downward spiral. The fact is we don’t know and guessing doesn’t help. Focus should be on those individuals who are most vulnerable to the virus. We need to look at ways to treat those people. We can’t wait on a vaccine. Possible drugs like hydroxychloroquine should be given careful consideration, despite the results, at this point, being anecdotal. Trying to test every person who has shortness of breath is not the answer. At this point the mortality rate is around one percent. Let’s focus on those one percent.

• What should I do? Or what can you do?

I am doing several things.

First, I’m keeping the faith. I choose to believe once the public realizes this is something we can overcome the panic will begin to subside. The virus, the economy, the media hype, is all something we individually have to come to grips with. We have to understand the true reality and deal with facts, not hysteria, hoarding and hyperbole. Following and trusting a higher power is not only one way, it is the only way to calmly get through these times.

Staying calm and discussing all aspects of this virus and these challenging times is another thing I am doing. I watch very little news because I don’t know who to believe. I trust the scientists and the physicians, but unfortunately, they don’t understand the economy. I’m reading what I can and decide what is based on facts.

Gracefully call out people who don’t deal with facts, but with theory.

Live life with optimism.

Help neighbors and friends with small chores.

Plant flowers or your garden.

Clean the vacuum cleaner, particularly the roller. Not a fun job, but essential.

I walk when I can and enjoy the beauty of the dogwoods and azaleas.

As frustrating and irritating as this entire situation is, I refuse to allow incompetent politicians, unscrupulous media types and fear mongers to dictate my attitude or my way of life. I will follow the rules and guidelines put in place, but I will continue to ask questions of those making the rules and guidelines. At some point this will pass and those in decision making roles will be rewarded or held accountable for those decisions.

Let’s stick together, not pointing fingers, or holding hands, but doing what’s right for the good of our neighbors and our country.

Until next time…

Throughout my life I’ve been fortunate and blessed to connect with people who lift me up. The very special ones inspire me.

I’ve been told I’m a “motivational speaker.” A very nice compliment, but frankly, I’d rather be known as an “inspirational speaker.” As I think about it, I’d rather inspire someone. Seems to me like a loftier accomplishment and a feeling that would last longer. A coach can motivate for a game, but a leader can inspire for a lifetime.

You probably know the kind of people I’m writing about. People that provide a thought provoking perspective. A perspective that is positive, causes introspective thinking and makes you want to hear more. A person who is comfortable in their own skin, leads by example, and doesn’t try to be something they are not. They are authentic which makes their words even more inspirational.

As I said, I’ve been fortunate to connect with a number of these inspirational people in my life. They’ve certainly made a positive difference for me.

Recently, through a series of circumstances, I’ve connected with someone who never ceases to amaze me. Through weekly contact I’m able to be inspired each and every time. I don’t know a great deal of historical information about this person, but I do know they were in high level leadership positions in their career. That fact doesn’t surprise me.

I also know this person has faced health challenges. But despite those challenges and likely many others I’m unaware of, this person glides through life like a beautiful swan on a lake. Underneath the water that swan may be paddling like crazy, but above the water all you observe is this graceful swan providing natural beauty everywhere it glides.

And so it is with my friend. What lies beneath, in their heart and soul is deep. What comes out of their mouth are precious pearls of wisdom. Words that can make you smile, give one chill bumps, makes you think for days afterwards, and always inspires me.

Yes, I’ve been blessed to connect with inspirational people throughout my life. Their names and faces go in and out of my mind on a regular basis. Daily, their words and actions provide memories that sustain me.

I’d strongly recommend everyone take the time to recall those people who have touched your lives. If you haven’t seen or heard from them in a while reach out and reconnect. Or if you are lucky enough to be geographically close, make sure you spend as much time as possible with them.

It will make an enormous, positive difference in your life as it has in mine.

Until next time…

For those of you who have read my book;

“Jewels in your Crown – Mining the Treasures Within”

you may recall Chapter Seven entitled “Mentoring.”  The main focus of my mentoring examples was a man named Frank.  Based on his affinity for smoking a pipe, my kids fondly and respectfully referred to him as “The Pipe Man.”

When I wrote the book, Frank had been retired 17 years. Nevertheless, he was still mentoring and helping me and countless others. He ALWAYS led by example. Long before the wristband WWJD became fashionable, when faced with a challenge, I would find myself asking, “What would Frank do?” That question would provide important guidance in my decision-making as well as in my daily life.

Frank was never critical of others.  And I can positively tell you I never heard anyone say anything critical of Frank.  He was kindly called “Father Frank” by everyone who knew him.  Not because he was Catholic, which he was, but because he was such a fatherly figure to so many.

He shared many valuable “pearls of wisdom” over the years. Here are just two.

“There is no such thing as constructive criticism.  All criticism is destructive.”

I quickly learned that criticism breaks someone down and causes other things to break down as well. Instead, Frank only offered constructive, positive feedback.  He would provide options to take the place of actions already taken or about to be taken.

Another favorite Pipe Man quote:

     “There are no levels of integrity, you either have it or you don’t.”

This powerful quote became a lifelong credo for me.

I’ve used both those pearls hundreds of times through one-on-one conversations or in large audience presentations.

He lived the textbook definition of the “Ripple Effect.” There is no way to measure the number of people whose lives he affected in a positive way.  My life was forever changed by the wisdom Frank shared and more importantly by the way he walked his talk.  He was my supervisor who became my mentor and then my friend.  A friend for life.

I recall a conversation with my son while writing my book.  We were talking about mentoring and the conversation logically went to “The Pipe Man.” My son began telling me stories he remembered of Frank. He related how he utilized what Frank taught me in his own work and home life. I remember thinking my son was a teenager when I worked with Frank, yet he was implementing what Frank had taught me those many years before.

 That conversation taught me the magnitude of Frank’s caring heart and the indelible impression he had on everyone he helped. What an enormous impact his life lessons had as they were learned and shared from one person to the next from one generation to another. To me, the essence of Frank’s time on earth are captured in a quote from Albert Paine.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us.  What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

I, among hundreds of others are blessed to have been touched and taught by Frank.  His eight children didn’t call him “Father Frank.” They were even more blessed to call him Dad.  In this season of Christmas, it seems fitting to remember Frank was a gift given to everyone who ever had the honor and pleasure to meet him.