In This Edition:
1. The Great Blackout of 1965
2. Give Yourself Permission
3. On the Ground Shortly
4. When Your Mind Hurts
Ah September! Back to school, shorter days, crisper air. I've just had the
good fortune to be told that my forthcoming book, The 60-Sixty Second
Procrastinator, (Adams Media, Nov, 2003 has just sold in Japan for a large
sum! The Brownout/Blackout in New York City and much of the northeast
brought back memories.
The Great Blackout of 1965
One afternoon after school, I accompanied my father to the
Community Center swimming pool. Several days a week, he was head lifeguard
from late afternoon to evening. I was a mere lad at the time, and I have to
tell you it was cool to have the run of the pool as I often did.
I was in the lifeguard office playing around with the lights while
my
father was watching the pool several dozen yards around the corner. One of
my juvenile games was to flip the lights on and off so quickly that no one
in the pool could tell that anyone had tampered with the lights. My father
was sharp, however, and after a few times, he yelled out from afar, "Jeff,
stop playing with the lights," and I immediately stopped.
No more than three minutes later, the lights went off in the entire
pool
area and only a small light from an independent power generator was lit. My
father yelled out again, "I told you to stop playing with the lights." I
came out of the office door and looked down the length of the pool. I said,
"it wasn't me."
We looked outside to the parking lot and saw that no lights
were on. I went up the stairs, opened the door, and looked at the rest of
the facilities, and all of the lights were off except for, once again, some
small lights powered by emergency generators.
The lights remained off for several more minutes, and my father was
forced to close the pool. We got a hold of some flashlights and ushered
people into the locker rooms. Other staff from around the center assisted
people in gathering their belongings and leaving.
On the drive home, we immediately noticed that all street lights
and all
lights that we normally would see from houses along our path were also off.
We learned from a local radio station that the entire city, and perhaps the
entire regional area, had gone dark.
By the time we got home, we heard a newscast that said the entire
Northeast
had gone dark. This was the great blackout of 1965. It was the first time
this had ever happened in the U.S., and it was stunning. Until that time,
one had always assumed that flipping the switch would result in your lights
coming on.
During the blackout, families retrieved the flashlights, candles,
and
transistor radios, and they made their homes as comfortable as possible. It
wasn't too cold that November evening, so I imagine most places in at least
my geographic region were comfortable. With no television, families members
actually spoke to
each other.
People listened to the radio, took walks, or camped around the
kitchen table
and found what they could eat safely before it might spoil. Such a time!
The funny thing is that to this day I succinctly remember my father
directing
me for a second time not to play with the lights when, indeed, much larger
forces were at play!
Give Yourself Permission
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to having what I call "breathing
space" in your life--the ability to elect on occasion to simply drop back
and punt--is the unwillingness to allow yourself to have it.
I spoke to one group of executives and their spouses and learned
from many spouses that their executive husbands or wives simply do not give
themselves permission to have breathing space -- time to get centered and
balanced, take a deep breath and then proceed.
Paradoxically, every shred of wisdom on the issue that I have ever
encountered indicates that any executive will be more effective each day, if
he/she simply pauses for an extra minute a couple of times each day. This
could be done every morning and afternoon--when back from the water cooler
or rest room, before leaving for lunch, when returning from lunch, and so
forth.
On the Ground Shortly
I've flown to so many speaking engagements that o much I can cite
most of the flight attendants' messages. For example: "Ladies and
Gentlemen, in preparation for landing, please take your seats and make sure
your seatbelts are fastened securely about you. Electrical devices must be
turned off and safely stowed at this time. Please return your tray table to
its original, upright, and locked position, and please bring your seat backs
to their original upright positions. We'll be on the ground shortly." That
message, however, delivered in that way, concerns me: I'm reasonably
certain that "we'll be on ground shortly"; it's how we get there that
matters.
When Your Mind Hurts
I told my daughter Valerie, then 7, that my sister is a doctor but
not a doctor of the body, a doctor of the mind. She checks your mind.
Valerie promptly asked, "Does she check your mind by opening your head?"
Valerie then asked "Do you make an appointment to see her when your
mind hurts?" I said yes. Valerie then said, "Sometimes my mind hurts when
I cry too much."
My mind hurts when I try to ingest too much information at once and
I'll bet that your does too!
