You know it is going to be a good night when

1) you are the only one in the security line at the airport.  no stress.. no hurrying to take off your shoes, take out your computer and undress all the jewelry.

2) your gate, number 7, is 12-steps from the bar

3) you just told a room full of people your darkest scariest secret

I am sitting in the Phoenix airport.  I spent the day, it started at 2:30am thank you Sebastian James Law, facilitating a communcations class for 16 women running for office.

Risk.  We are over messaged.  We are tired of being told in pithy sayings what to think and feel.  We need substance- not enlightened sentences.

As I drink my Chardonnay (Meridium- yum!) I reflect on the breakthrough I had today.   I stood in front of a room full of humans and disclosed my deepest secret.

Why would I do that?  Be vunerable.  Say the truth?

In the middle of teaching.. of wowing the room with my expertise in public speaking and communcation.  I saw her.  She was in the back of the room.  Blonde.  Powerful.  Her face was red.  She had tears welling up.  I realized that in this room we had stirred up some stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, she was strong in her realization.  There was no break down… nothing like that.  I just saw the look.  I knew that look.

So.  I said it.  Out loud.

I often quote Diane DiPrima  “Your opinion of me is none of my business”

Today, I get just how hard it is to live by that credo.  And how damn necessary it is to change this planet we live on.

Thank you.  You now who you are.  I told you.  Thank you

www.jackdaly.net

I have heard the man speak 3 times now.  Each time, he basically says the same thing.  Same story.  Same exercises.

Every single time- I leave inspired.  It isn’t what he says- it is how he says it.  He is “sucking the marrow out of life,” he says.

He asked a question yesterday.  What is the most productive day of the year?

Think about it for  a moment.

Now, imagine if every day of your life… you were as productive .. as….

the day before vacation.  What, my friends, would we accomplish then?

More than I did today.

She arrived in a blue fabric gym bag. I quickly unzipped the bag to beat the clock. 8 hours of First Aid training in 5 hours.

and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 and 14 and 15 and 16 and 17 and 18 and 19 and 20 and 21 and 22 and 23 and 24 and 25 and 26 and 27 and 28 and 29 and 30

puff puff

and 1 and 2 and 3.. This is CPR. I am old enough to know the next sentence and I am shocked I did not. The purpose of CPR is not to revive the person. The purpose of CPR is to keep the blood oxygenated and flowing until the heart can be shocked into beating again.

There will be no sudden coughing and awakening as we see on every movie. We will press and puff over the person until help arrives and pray our efforts kept their brain alive long enough to restart their heart.

www.redcross.org

28 degrees in Maine feels like 3. I flew across country on Friday to facilitate the first Emerge Maine Class of 2007. 15 women who are either in office or running for office. 6 hours of communication adhesion, leadership and rapport speaking.

My way there was a little crazy. The flight in Maine was delayed. It was my first night away from my son so I was a walking emotional trigger.

I heard a woman speak about her experience the day John F. Kennedy was shot. I have heard this story so many times before. As she described a day in her life in Junior High School and the outfit she wore (they didn’t allow girls to wear pants to school back then.) I could picture that moment. I was not the only person in the room who swallowed down tears as she described her mothers reaction to the loss. A painful memory.
There are so many reasons we do not stand up. Assassination over the past century is certainly one of them. Stand up and get shot down. Conflict is very hard. Being in the center of any controversy takes such thick skin. Being the person who stands up and says, “Ahem, what is happening here is not okay. I don’t care how many people do not see it.. I see it.. and it is not okay.”

We have been messaged to and over reality-showed. I am hopeful now is the time to shine the light on all the scary squiggly things under the rock we are sitting on and decide as a populace that our bask in the sun is better knowing what is really going on.

Editorializing. Sorry.

Maine is pretty. Have a nice day.

I get this e-mail from a dear friend Dhaya. It seems she wants me to meet another spirit in the business world wearing a red clown nose. I e-mail this person- Kurtis, after checking out his website. www.sfcomedycollege.com

His reply reminds me immediately how quickly we can lighten every interaction with humor. I sometimes drop my Nose&Funny Glasses when I am in a hurry. On my e-mail signature it says all my particulars and then, Founder Old Company Name here.

At the end of this e-mail he wrote, Founder: Lost Wallet in Marin.

Gotta like the guy. I am taking one of his classes.

I also changed my signature. Great reminder.