Last month I was away from home for a week in Berlin.  I agonized being gone so long from my son and asked my husband to keep notes on what he did or said while I was away.

It is a universal thing in parenting to ask a babe just learning to make sounds what different animals say.  What does the dog say?  What does the cat say?   Sebastian learned lion first… he gave us a big ROOOOOORWWWW.  We of course clap our hands and tell him he is a great kid.   He learned many animals… it was something fun we did.

When I returned from Berlin I hugged him for about 50 minutes.   Then daddy asked him, What does the monkey say.  OOOHOOOH….. we applaud.

What does the lion say… RRRRRRROOOOOOOWWWWWWWWR… we applaud

WHat does the LUNATIC say?   MmmmmooOOOOHAAAHAAAHAAA

Yes, my husband taught our son to make a super villian noise.  It is the cutest.  I laughed and laughed.   It really isn’t politically correct of course.   It really is cute.

Of course we then taught him a noise for every single one of our friends.  Luther says DUUUUUUDE.  Madrina says MORE WINE PLEASE.  Courtney says OOOOOOOMMMMMM (She is a yoga master)   Blake says  SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS (year of the snake)    This fun little game delights all the adults around.

Yesterday I am driving and Sebastian asks from the back seat, MOMMA?

Yes son.

What does the doggy say?

Ruf Ruf

Yay.  Good momma!!!!  WHat does the cat say?

Meow

YAY  Good momma!!!  What does the monkey say?

chirp?

No….. try again momma….

I have to say, I had to pull over.  It was that cute.

 I have started paying attention now.  Every person I know, if I had to tell Sebastian what they ’say’… what is it.  We all have verbal branding going on that we are often not aware of.   A good lesson.. from a 20-month old.

I’m sure you already watched this one years ago.  My dad worked for the Center of Disease Control in the 70’s focused on Venereal Disease Education.  He had really funny ways of sending the message out.   He would have loved this one…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4rEBcZ4Es

 PSA’s need to be more like this.  People remember it.

Corporate messaging needs to be more like this.  People send it along….

 Norco, California is a horse town.  If you somehow miss the hay billowing about, the 174 western style clothing stores, the scent of manure or the tie posts outside all of the bars… there is another clear indication Equus Caballus…..

Need to cross the street?   You will find two sets of “pedestrian” buttons to change the signals to WALK.

There is a button about three-feet high for walkers….

A button about 7 feet high for cowboys so they don’t have to get off their horse.

Neat.

We are in a new communication economy.  Political types need to catch up.   I am lucky to attend a ton of political events with big names wowing the crowd with their oratory prowess.

I love Nancy Pelosi.  I have written about her before.  She takes the time to personally connect with people in ways that most politicians truly need to learn.  I was therefore quite sad at her 20-year anniversary lunch to hear her thank several wealthy donors when she took the podium.  

I know it is the right thing to do in politics.  To thank the wealthy donors.  These people may even be her dearest friends and therefore it has nothing to do with money.

What politicos need to learn is to thank the other folks too.  Claudia who poured the dressing on my salad.  I’d thank her.  I’d also have all the volunteers for the event stand up and get a round of applause.  I have yet to see a candidate remember the unimportant people that were not in the VIP room.

I have been in the VIP room.  It is a great room and everyone is really nice.  It is set up for the big donors so they have access to the person who is there to raise the funds.  It is a nice benefit and it just feels wrong.

It is frankly the purchase of access.  Whether anything is done with that access, it is still a purchase.   THere must be another way.  At least another WORD for it.  VIP.  Very important people.

In the new communication economy, distinguishing importance by pocket book is bad.  The volunteer who dealt with the long lines to get in the lunch were more important.  The guy who cleaned up afer, he’s important.

Reality check.  I understand that money makes politics work.  I get that.  I also do not like the system.  DO I know how to change it?  No. 

 It does seem in the new relationship economy we are in, a saavy politican will figure out how to connect with everyone regarding of donation ability.

So…. the rest of the story.  I wrote this post months ago and never posted it.  I had an opportunity to talk with Nancy Pelosi.  Each year she sets aside time at the Democratic Convention to connect with women from the Emerge program.   We had a really nice chat about Mothers and politics. 

I am holding in my hand a note from Nancy Pelosi.   It is a thank you note personally signed by her.  In it she mentions my son and our talk at the convention.

Um?  Whoa.  Clearly, the woman can give lessons on graciousness.  I have a hard time picking up my dry cleaning and the person 2nd in line of president has time to send me a note?

She gets it.   I just gave her a pass on the Shorenstein thank you.

I define a prank as a harmless human interaction that leaves no permanent physical residue and gets people thinking and interacting.  Hopefully laughing.
A couple of years ago, when I first moved into my building, I noticed no one speaks to each other in the elevator.  I do.    Once I sparked a conversation, folks would start talking to each other.   Sometimes I even committed elevator anarchy and stood the wrong way.  It was fun.

Over time, I realized I was missing something.  What exactly IS happening up there?  Why is it that 98.3% of humans watch the numbers in the elevator?  They lift their chins up and are SO engrossed in those little illuminated digits?  (41.2% of all statistics are made up on the spot.)
I love technology.  I do.   I just didn’t get it?  So, I went to my neighborhood office suppy store and purchased magnetic printable paper.   I printed little signs that said

“Why are you looking up here?  Talk to the person next to you!”

I went in each elevator in my building and JUMPED up to magnetically stick them to the numbers above the door.  I rode the elevators all morning.  It was hysterical.  People really laughed and looked at each other.   Conversation.  Human connection.  I wonder if people started dating, got married and had babies all because of my little prank?   (I have seen way to many romance movies)

The signs didn’t last long.  I got in trouble for it.  (I am still unsure how they knew I was the perp. )

It is harmless.  The signs come down really easy.  They are just magnets.  They cause people to interact.   If anyone out there wants the template - just contact me.

I have said, The Human Relationship is the True Currency for a long time.  What this world needs now is a little bit more pointless friendly human interaction.

If you don’t like chatting the morning - do not get in the elevator with a short gal with red hair at 221 Main Street.

I speak a lot to international audiences.  Everytime I do, an audience member raises their hand and asks the question:

Why did America vote him in a second time?  Can you explain this to me please?

We didn’t.
http://www.stealingamerica.org/filmmakers.html

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbecile’s who really mean it.

-Mark Twain