Slogging It Out

It really is a race now.

Trying to make it on the road to my Florida vacation while keeping all the juggled balls in the air long enough to get out of town.

Some of the stuff, I just don't want to deal with--like the power steering problem with the truck. It needs to go to the shop--but, it will wait until I get back.

Other stuff--needs to get done, like the preparation and the packing.

And then there are the outliers--like buying a new sprinkler because the old one broke. Who is going to water the lawn while we are gone? And I wanted to rent a tank of air to do a dive gear check-out. Maybe Saturday because I still have to retrieve Chris's repaired face mask.

And work has turned into a nightmare of its own--strings of meetings that yesterday lasted until 5:30 pm and start all over today with a road-trip meeting which will devour the better part of an already busy Friday. Monday and Tuesday present themselves as more of the same with equally as long out of the office meetings.

And this is July--the pace is supposed to ease a bit as the action and task generators begin to slip out on vacation.

All I know is that when I hit the front door of the house in the evening I force my mind to go blank--but it doesn't.

Like the journey of a thousand miles beginning with a single step--I will continue to put one foot in front of the other and by slogging through one shuffle step at a time, it will all get done. Mostly.

Cylinder of Excellence: A Study in Self Importance

The other day, a friend of mine referred to a situation in our office as an example of the "cylinder of excellence capitol of the world."

I was stunned and amazed--so amazed that I wrote the phrase down and my mind has been turning it over teasing it out in the week since it was uttered.

There was so much packed into those seven words that I still can barely comprehend the complete meaning of the phrase.

The cylinder part was fantastic as it describes an entire universe or work unit. Totally self-contained and self-absorbed with no inputs allowed from the outside.

The idea of a cylinder is that it stands by itself, unlike a sphere which can roll, and it is there for others to see and often trip over. Additionally, there is nothing connecting this free-standing cylinder to the world around it. It is because it is. Kind of a parody of Descartes "I think, therefore I am."

Add into this self-absorbed and self-important environment the self-declaration of excellence. The ego factor is increasing exponentially here. But, in fact, many places consider themselves to be Centers of Excellence--and that title is self assigned. There is no agency designated to bestow upon an organization the rating of Center of Excellence. Leadership does it in its own.

It is often used to convey a message, but in my way of thinking it all too often is a gratuitous title. If, in face, and organization is a center of excellence, then their products and services will reflect that as will the bottom line success of the organization.

And now for the closing phrase-- "capitol of the world!" Of course this is a tongue in cheek comment which really drives home the point that the dis-connectedness and the self-importance of the cylinder of excellence is unmatched and is an example for other "Wanna Be's" to emulate.

What kind of organizations are guilty of this behavior? All kinds--from civic to governmental to private industry to religious.

I have seen organizations in all of these areas pride themselves on being the "cylinder of excellence capitol of the world."

What do we need to do to prevent our organization from becoming a cylinder of excellence?

Stay connected to peer organizations and customers and partners. Also, work collaboratively--giving as well as receiving. Stay in touch.

AND--don't think so highly of yourself that you can't accept ideas from outside.

Break down the philosophy which continues to promote the "not invented here" syndrome. Open the organization to the outside and allow solid connection to others.

It is not good to be a cylinder of excellence capitol of the world--it is much better to be seen as a collaborative, open, innovative organization which constantly reinvents itself to meet the demands of the market or the customers it is trying to serve.

Just because we did it that way 10 years ago doesn't mean we need to do it that way today--but also, it doesn't necessarily mean we HAVE to change, either.

Ask the customers what they need to be successful and then partner with other organizations, if necessary, to meet the need.

Truck problems, ugh!

It was bound to happen sooner or later. My beloved truck has developed a power steering lfluid leak--which is pretty bad.

It's going to need surgery. I looked at it and I can't even discern where the the leak actually is--except it is spraying all over the front of the truck in front of the radiator. I do know it is not the power steering fluid pump--I found that and there is no fluid there..

Couldn't happen at a worse time--right before vacation.

I still drive the truck a couple day a week. Why? Well I'm trying to keep miles off Cat. And I always drive the truck during bad weather.

I was actually under the truck for two hours yesterday replacing the failed axillary air pump--that was a special treat in the heat. Fortunately, I was able to work in the garage--where the light was worse but the temperature was 20 degrees cooler than being in the direct sun.

But, because of the fantastic weekend of lounging in the pool on a floatie, I was able to persevere!

The truck will get fixed, soon. I already have one broken and undriveable vehicle in the driveway.

Until then--don't worry, be happy. Florida is less than two weeks away from reality.

And the truck, while important, isn't my only vehicle.

Fabulous Weekend

It is hot!

It has been hot.

I got the chance to watch and old favorite movie over the weekend--Yankee Doodle Dandy, the George M. Cohan Story starring James Cagney.

Now that is one patriotic movie. I love the music and the story.

I also had the opportunity to watch the Macy's Fireworks from New York City--which was really fantastic especially after seeing the fireworks form the mall in DC in person.

I also did some repairs--I had a water valve break in the pool house which required me to sweat some copper. And I repaired a leak in a floatie. Worked on Chris's car trying to silence an annoying rattle. Ugh.

But mostly--I was able to just be in the moment and enjoy the things of life like fireflies in the trees and the singing of a wren near her nest. Watching the dogs interact with us and enjoy one of the most relaxing and productive weekends I've had in a long time.

2010, the 234th celebration of the United States was by far one of my most favorite holiday weekends.

Monday Musings - July 5, 2010 Reflections of the Independence Celebration

1. Riding in a stuffed full metrorail car from DC to Greenbelt last night was a new experience with screaming babies and full of themselves young people. I had visions of a Stephen King type of ending for the train as it sped through the tunnels under the city and then broke into the night as it came above ground. Thankfully, he writes fiction and this was real life.

2. Spending the Fourth of July with a few hundred thousand of my closest friends reminded me that patriotism is still alive in this country despite the daily dose of depressing news and frustration we exhibit in our elected leadership.

3. This terrible picture is of the fireworks exploding behind the Washington Monument from a spot on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building. Don't tell her I admitted this--but Chris found an awesome spot to watch the fireworks among the thousands of like minded people assembled for the event.

4. Watching two extra dogs this weekend has reminded me that I really love my one true dog.

5. The weekend has been idyllic--I have spent a lot of time on a floatie in my pool. But, yesterday I did have to repair a broken valve in the pool house. Thankfully, I still remember how to sweat copper.

6. It is really nice to have a day off after the late night celebration. Maybe Independence Day needs a two-day celebration so we can all recover after the night before.

7. I read the following in the NPR review of the July 4th this morning: Chicago traditionally celebrated a day early on July 3 with a fireworks display that drew more than 1 million people, but the show was canceled this year to save at least $500,000. The city held three smaller shows on Sunday. I believe Chicago has lost something. An event which brings 1 million Americans together to celebrate the birth of our nation must not be lost.

8. One of the songs the band played in church yesterday was I Am Free. Although we didn't sign the song, I was reminded that we are free to worship, to sing, to enjoy life and to share our love with those around us.

9. It was interesting to look out over the crowd last night as the fireworks were lighting up the sky and see the number of iPhone and camera LCD screens of people doing the same thing that I was doing--trying to capture the moment for posterity in digital image. I stopped after two shots and decided to capture the moment in my memory--and just to enjoy the music, the fireworks, and the company of the two beautiful women who were with me.

10. 234 years--thanks to a few founding fathers for their vision, their dedication, and their willingness to risk everything to follow a dream. I only hope we still have a portion of their patriotism remaining in our souls.

Happy 4th

Guess where we are to celebrate?

Lavender and butterflies

We were treated to a host of white butterflies enjoying our lavender yesterday. A cloud of the white butterflies hovered over the blooms enjoying the scent and the pollen from the blooms.

The gardens are suffering a bit from the lack of rain, bit we are supplementing with water to keep the blooms coming.

Chris mulched the beds this week which will further help retaining moisture on the plants.

The weather has been glorious and we are heading into a hot spell this week according to the forecast.

Bring it on.

Holiday Weekend

Just another holiday weekend and the gang is all gathered.

We are dog sitting for our families who are pit of town and so in addition to Makayla, we have also Florence the Italian Greyhound and Ben the other Keeshond is in the foreground. They are napping on my bed.

As I like to say it, I have a pair of Kees when the keeshonden are together.

It was kind of funny how we gained the extra canines within hours of deciding not to head away for the holiday weekend.

But as the three-day weekend begins we have a full house.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

In the Moment--Multi-tasking is not the Way to Enjoy Life to its Fullest

I wrote last week about the mediocre racquetball that I have been playing lately in the article Racquetball Blues--Going Through Life With Cement Overshoes. I reference that item because something came through my email yesterday which directly related to my recent experience.

Before I read that item yesterday, I had already treated myself to three of the best games of racquetball that I have put together in a long time. Were they perfect, by no means--in two of the games I surrendered leads of 11 and 8 points--but, after the article came across my email, I began to make sense of what happened yesterday and what has been going on in so many areas of my life.

The article is Living Consciously and it was published in a blog sponsored by Flying magazine. Please note when you read the article on the blog that the letter cited was written by a close associate and it was he who sent me the link to the blog.

The article is a quick read--probably quicker than this blog entry will be, and I recommend reading the entire article to fully appreciate the context. But I have extracted here a few paragraphs that describe the "aha moment" I stumbled across yesterday thanks to Peter.

The skill or behavior Peter was describing, which Dr. Musgrave exhibited so well, is sometimes known as "living consciously." It's something I've written about before in the pages of Flying, and something I think the act of flying a small airplane encourages more than many other activities in our daily life. It describes the attempt to be fully present in every activity we undertake, from washing our hand, to pre-flighting an airplane, to walking down the street.

To be fully present in any given moment requires full attention to the task in hand, and an effort to not just look, but see, feel, and be aware of all the sights, sensations, and events within reach of our senses. Which is to say, it's the antithesis of multi-tasking … which also means it's a skill that is becoming rarer and rarer in the world.

But as the summer flying season, with all its beauty, warmth, landscape scents and gentle breezes begins … it's worth taking a moment to consider Dr. Musgrave's approach to a simple vanilla ice cream cone. On your next flight, make an effort to be that conscious as you pre-flight. Of the feel of the metal latches as you open them, and the distinctive scent of the avgas. The unrolling of the canopy cover. The breeze and shade beneath the wings. The warmth of the summer sun, the energy in that moment of lift-off … the treasure of being alive, and in the air, with all the freedom, sights, and sensation it affords.

I realized that my mind has been so full of things, that I haven't been able to focus on the task at hand--whether a project at work, a racquetball game, or engaging in conversation at home. There is too much "swirl" going on to allow me to fully focus on the "now" while not being concerned about the "later."

Yesterday morning, I realized as I read the blog, when I was playing racquetball well the only thing I was focusing on was racquetball. I was in the zone. I wasn't thinking about the dozens of meetings and tasks waiting for me at work and then around the house later in the day. When I started to lose focus--I began to lose the games. I remember thinking about things like the tension of the strings on my racket, the weather, the weekend, the holiday. As I was able to clear these things from my mind and refocus on the game--the tide turned.

I'm going to try to apply this concept a bit more to my everyday life and see if not only my performance, but my enthusiasm improve. Truly, I do not need to multi-task all the time. I do a lot of multi-tasking at work because it goes with my job--I'm kind of into everything and need to stir stuff up when it begins to languish. But in my personal life, at least, I should be able to take time to focus.

I know I focus and notice life sometimes--and I have recorded some of those fleeting moments here in my blog--The Sunlight in my Eyes from March comes to mind.

But they are rare.

And so, as an effort to improve my quality of life by resisting the temptation to multi-task, I have determined that I will no longer try to change my clothes while talking on the phone! Also--when I am on the beach in two weeks--I will be on the beach and not somewhere else in my mind.

And I know I will soon think of other things to help speed me along this path to taking back control and enjoyment from life.

Canada Day 2010 - Neighbor to the North

My friends know that sometimes I break into a chorus of 'O Canada' when we are doing something and it has a Canadian slant to it. Of course one or our best friends is of Canadian descent, so that often helps me to find a reason to regail her with a little bit of O Canada, too. And it usually beings a smile to her face when I do it.

Today is Canada Day and I want to take a moment to celebrate our sane and sensible neighbor to the north. We fellow North Americans should take a moment to pause and recognize our close ties to Canada and celebrate with them their great country.

While the recent riots at the G20 summit were a blot on the sensibility of Canadians as a whole--that was in my mind an aberration.

In honor of Canada Day, I offer here the words to their national anthem--which I hear at hockey games and baseball games when Canadian teams are competing. Of course, we also heard it played a lot during the recent Winter Olympics. Most of us USA bound people probably don't take the time to even listen the words of O Canada--but as national anthems of the world go, I find this one to be one of the best and most "sing-able."

And so, in honor of our neighbor to the north and in honor of the longest undefended frontier between two nations in the world I present the words to O Canada, and if you click the link, you can hear it, too.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide, O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.