Okay, Ron

A met a union printer from the power company recently. Talking about printing again was fun; ink, paper, finishing. He started with Wisconsin Gas Company and stayed on after the merger with WE Energies. 

Unfortunately people are lazy, out for themselves and don’t care about anything any more. Quality? Who cares. That’s him talking and he’s happy to continue along that line of thought. Traffic is too heavy. Cops don’t do anything. Management is oblivious. The sky is too blue. On and on.

I met a guy named Ron today that was pretty much the same way. Nothing was right at all. If anything I offered up might look bright he waved it off. Abnormal.

And, while he thought he was being funny, he was loudly mouthing off about my driving when we got back into the service drive. Completely making stuff up. Really? That’s not funny, Ron.

I told him a story about a guy that came in and wanted a discount for service. He just asked for it after he was given a base price. He asked three times. Each time the response was - not if you don’t have a coupon.

The final response to the guy asking for a discount was this question. “If I brought a gallon of milk up to the checkout and asked for a discount the checker would ask for a coupon. That’s the way it works.”

This particular fellow was of an ethnic origin known for this behavior.

Ron said he had a coupon. He thought. Maybe it was at home.

“I really can’t take you back. We are on the way to pick someone else up.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It expired and I probably threw it away.”

Okay, Ron.

Meeting Jesus

The morning I met Jesus he was carrying a book he intended to read if he had to wait for his car at the dealership. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He’d been to a training. I failed to follow that in the conversation. What did he learn? When was it? Has it stuck with him? Does he practice it?

I mentioned this in a post that day about the people I met that day. I had told some of this 'meeting Jesus' story to the very next gal Karen. She said that she had attended two Covey trainings courtesy of her employer. I failed to follow that line of conversation also.

The Covey book came to my attention again recently because it is celebrating its 25th year since publication. I told Jesus that I had been looking for my book in order to reread it. And here I meet two people that had had the training and I failed to pick up on that. Hmmm.

We were have pleasant conversations. Nothing hurried or forced about either of us trying to make a point.

Jesus and I talked a bit about the shortcomings of self-help material. Karen and I talked about quality of life issues. She sees end-of-life issues on a daily basis in her medical practice. And we all talked about importance of friends and family.

Karen and I talked about pharmacological drugs and intentional death and state executions. I brought it up and she offered her knowledge. I asked why veterinarians do not encounter the problems that the state execution team has been encountering with botched executions so recently in the news. 

She said that vets proceed with animals in an inhumane way. While we may love our pets and feel incredibly close to them, we proceed as though they do not have sufficient awareness to warrant a more humane method with which to dispatch them. 

That evening I spent some time writing the story of the day. Early the next morning it occurred to me how to proceed with the second Drive Time book and Do Happy Better. I could finally see the interweave between the stories. The cross-stitch that knits the stories together is the exchange of ideas with the intent to make things better. By those ‘things’ I mean some mix of product, process, and purpose.

This morning I came across and article giving pointers on animal communication. The article said we are born telepathic and can recover that if we slow down and become more intentional. Verbal language has limited uses. It reminded me of the celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan when he says he trains owners more than he trains dogs.

I do believe we will find collaboration getting an upgrade over competition as an important evolutionary step.

Meeting and greeting people is an important ingredient in collaboration. I hope to demonstrate the value of that and encourage the practice of it.

Drive Time was collected from stories in the shuttle. In order to flesh out the book I added the autobiographical stuff I talk about when customers ask about me and my life. I think it’s time to talk about ideas.

The Jesus in the title of this story refers to Jesus Lopez.

Happy Birthday, Krishna

Monday. New Moon. I met Jesus this morning. 

He was my first ride out this week. It was just the two of us. Yes, Jesus*. 

He was carrying Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

“How is it going?” I asked, pointing to the book.

“Fine.” he said.

I told him I was recently looking for my copy so I could read it again.

“Have you been to the training?" he asked.

“No." I said. I don’t know why I didn’t ask about his experience of the training. We must have made a turn. Now I am curious what that’s about.

Otherwise we spoke generally of self-help and quality of life. I told him I’m working on a book. I have been polishing my opinions on this topic of course and added a little spit to the shine.

We spent a few minutes in front of his house before he got out of the shuttle. He has two boys and a girl and he has given considerable thought about the life-time cash from a part-time job versus the value of family time. He’s going with family time.

Karen was my next rider. She knows cancer drugs and cancer. She’s a pharmacological oncologist at a local hospital.

“I assume your job is to provide comfort and care to people recovering from cancer or moving into death. Can you talk to me about the intentional use of drugs to induce death?”

“Sure.”

"I have been curious about why botched state-sanctioned executions have been in the news lately. How is it that veterinarians do not take two hours to put a pet to sleep?” I asked.

Basically she said that we (the culture) do not consider that our pets are sentient and self-aware beings. We do not communicate with them at the verbal level. Or, more correctly, they do not do that with us. So, we allow our vets to induce a coma-like state and then a heart-stopping drug.

Apparently we need to be more humane to humans because apparently they/we know more about what’s going on. As if pets don’t. I did mention a couple books on plant consciousness. She might look them up. Here is another specific time that I wish I could take notes. Here I am, having private time, with a doctor that is conversant with death.

Anyway, it is possible that I do not have this drug thing exactly right even though I am writing now less than 12 hours after we met.

We also got on the quality-of-life issue, the miracle of the very breath itself, the distractions … And, she also, has been to two Steven Covey trainings, courtesy of the hospital. Another reason to hope that I meet her again.

We did not speak about her land of origin. I am pretty sure she did not grow up in America and western culture. I can’t believe I missed asking that particular question. Her car is in the body shop for this next week or so. Maybe we'll meet again.

Speaking of distractions; I met T again; mother of 3, a control operator at the power plant. She’d been a nuke controller in the military, which I imagined as;

“Navy?"

“Of course.”

I then get to chime in about my younger brother, the USS Shark, the USS Kitty Hawk … as if I knew anything about any of that … but still ….

And so, she, mother of three … here we are with endless questions and comments from the kids. 

While there is a great deal of love around the miracle of life, one can easily imagine the distractions. There they are, in the back seat. "Mom. Mom. Mom?"

“To touch the soul of another human being 

is to walk on holy ground.” 

~ Stephen R. Covey

*Jesus? Yes, Jesus Lopez.

Further, there is a small Indian congregation here in the neighborhood. There was a birthday party recently in the front yard. For several days there were tents, tables and the vinyl party sign was up for days.  It read: Happy Birthday, Krishna.

Off and on

In 5 weeks in March and April this year I published 4 books. Things are going fine as far as I am concerned. Marketing, distribution, event planning all have learning curves that are not about writing.

Anyway, those activities have kept me from the keyboard. There have been a few shuttle stories lately that remind me what fun/work it is. And, then there is the self-help material that waits begging.

Summer is not over but I don't think I am waiting for the chill to set in before I sit back down at the typer.

Talk to you soon.

Swayz Mexican Restaurant

I met a couple ladies yesterday. A mother and daughter duo. We had some high-spirited fun while I took them home.

I asked what was for lunch. It was noon. I was looking for ideas. They thought Mexican. I said this, this and this place and they said no, and no, and no.

It turns out that they own a Mexican restaurant. Well, no wonder they are so discriminating.

We're nearing their destination and I said the name of their place. They were surprised. They had not told me. I said it had been a couple years but that I had eaten there and had always meant to return.

Anyway, we had been talking about things they know and I do not; tacos al pastor and corn tortillas specifically. What kind, where from, etc.

I invited myself to dinner soon with the idea that they might take me into the kitchen and show me how to handle fresh corn tortillas on my own. 

The mama seemed to enjoy our conversation enough to give me free margarita coupons.
I think she likes me.

Swayz

4048 S. Packard Avenue Saint Francis, WI 53235

www.swayzrestaurant.com

Reviews

A couple friends surprised me with reviews of Drive Time. I'm touched. Very lovely.

Bing Video Mapper

On the 4th of this month I posted a pic on another blog of a Bing video mapping car I saw in town. It was blue with Colorado plates. The very next day a few blocks away I saw another one. It was silver and had plates from a different state. I couldn't get close enough. He turned. I had customers on board. 

The very next day after that here was that second car up on the rack in our dealership. Amazing.

The magnetic Bing signs were removed and the camera was down and wrapped carefully. 

The car has been in the shop a full week. Apparently a new transmission was in order. Today it's done.

I 'd like to meet the fellow that operates that car. I have questions. I did ask one of our service advisors if he might bring it up in conversation with the fellow. 

I figure he's not working and I'd buy him a root beer float and he could tell me a couple stories for my next book. So far nothing.