Kindness Counts

Isn’t it a worn out cliché that most of us find that there are never enough hours in a day to accomplish all we set out to do?   No matter how much we rely on our Franklin Daily Planners and the array of other time management strategies at our disposal our “To Do” lists too often seem to suffer from a “check off” deficit.   Later this week I’ll be flying from my Florida Panhandle home to the West Coast.   To me westward bound flights are amusing; from the central time zone it affords me the magic of a 26 hour day and with it the opportunity to efficiently apply those bonus hours, which I feel certain I will (not).   😃     Time, the great equalizer, also has its sense of humor.   Not much more than a day after arriving in California will my additional 120 minutes be squandered and then some, on a scheduled red eye flight to North Carolina, resulting in what will be a mere 21 hour Saturday.   The injustice! Recently I listened to a particu...

For many of us who work in an office setting our days bring an element of predictability.   We check into the job either physically or sometimes remotely these days, analyze and evaluate data, talk with customers, and maybe attend meetings.   There are of course deviations and crises that occur, but for the most part we have a general idea of what awaits us.   Except, you still never know what a day may bring. Many years ago I was the HR Director for a small municipality.   It was about the time that illicit drugs were becoming a national scourge and many communities sought and received state and federal funds dedicated to narcotic eradication units, otherwise known as drug task forces.   These agencies tended to operate undercover with Police Officers infiltrating drug rings.   I knew the Commander of our task force and mentioned to him that if ever an opportunity came about I would enjoy observing their work. One sunny morning the Commander p...

My wife and I have become fans of ABC's  Designated Survivor , the fictional account of a cabinet member's ascendance to the Presidency premised on a tragic event that claimed the lives of literally all representatives of the three branches of our federal government.  In actor Kiefer Sutherland's portrayal of President Tom Kirkman we follow an idealistic account of his Executive Administration.   A recent episode tackled the very timely and sensitive subject of monuments to the Confederacy and the give and take between the President and one of the leaders of the early Civil Rights Movement.  Watch:  http://www.tvguide.com/news/designated-survivor-season-2-episode-3-recap/ The snippet is a tidy portrayal of respectful deference to a seasoned social change warrior he then returning honor to the figurative head of the free world.  By professional actors.  On television.    How does acquiescence play out in reali...

In this age of 24 hour media does it not seem that we are under a constant barrage of oneupmanship and whose voice can drown out the other?  Where is common courtesy and respect for the other person?  How can these attributes be leveraged as an asset for both business and personal success?    A lot of our communication can be tiresome.  It not only may tend towards loud and obnoxious, but intrusive, all knowing, and often self-centered.  I have reduced much of my television viewing for these very reasons. The alternative, print media, can be just as provocative.  A major daily that I subscribe to on line flashes advertising for a car dealership upon clicking to the first story selected, repeated clicks to remove the ad seemingly either ineffective or further locking in and illuminating the ad. To be fair, I don't want to cast stones solely at our often maligned journalists.  Many interpersonal conversations center upon th...

A company's concern for it's employees impacted by natural disaster...The gift of a car?...Receiving a "thank you" even when you're unsure why...People we meet in heaven...A challenge... Many of us who call the Gulf Coast home have dealt and are still dealing with a perilous last 30 days or so.  Hurricanes have brought relentless winds and devastating floods resulting in catastrophic property damage and most unfortunately the infliction of injury and loss of human life. Those of us who call the Florida panhandle home have mostly been spared from these calamities, yet there remains two more months in tropical storm season.  We continue to keep our fingers crossed. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma I received a phone call from one of my employers, ESPN.  The motivation for the call was as a follow up to employees in Florida to check on our welfare and determine what was needed from the company.  I was fortunate to reply that in spite of some gusty...

http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/23657-cops-and-firefighters-celebrate-8-year-olds-birthday-after-no-one-else-came-to-party Most of us have an innate desire to positively influence the lives of others.  How that is achieved depends on opportunity, circumstances, timing, and approach for sure.   The most critical element may well be "heart." The kindness of the Police Officers and Firefighters of Hurst, TX calls to mind another similar story. Valentine's Day was tomorrow.  Billy was furiously penning the 20 or so cards his mother had bought earlier and hastily stuffing them in their respective envelopes.  Among his greetings:  "Thanks for being my friend,"I like sharing my lunch with you," and "You sure are a good baseball player." The next morning as he exited the bus in front of his elementary school Billy limped to the school's entrance, almost trampled by the other more agile kids.  He steadfastly held to his box of ...