Zane Safrit

Inspiration at the Gym

Normally I don't find inspiration at the local gym. I go in, git 'r done, and get out. Check. I have two goals and I'm very slow at making progress towards them.

Today was different. Actually the last two visits to the gym have been different for the same reason.

No, it's neither any modest progress I make, nor  the  feats of the serious lifters in the gym.

It was the efforts of a teen-age boy with cerebral palsey working with a personal trainer.  That inspired me.

It was the patience, kindness and yes let's say it, sweetness, of the personal trainer as he coached the young man through a series of upper body exercises.

It was the joy and grin and shouts of the young man as the energy and adrenaline surged through his veins and brought light and life to his eyes.

It was his guardian who resolutely brings her charge to the gym and works with the trainer to carry the young man up and down a short series of steps into the weight room.

It was her smile and love as she looked at the young man whose care became her mission and I asked about him, his training, his progress.

It was her willingness to try something for him, to find some more thing he can accomplish to further bolster his confidence, give him courage, joy, strength, open the door on a broader world.

It was her pushing him to and from the gym, on the side of the street, in summer temps.

It was her commitment to him. When you talk about selfless commitment, giving one's life for a cause, 110% effort, this lady embodies it...quietly, unsung, day-in and day-out. Still smiling. Worried. But still smiling with a genuine love in her eyes as she watched him doing arm curls.

I never know where inspiration will sneak up and surprise me. Do you? I mean not for me, but for you. Are you sometimes surprised when and where you find inspiration? Well, if you share it with others then you can surprise them, too.

I hope I did, anyway, with this story.

That's all

I was dropping off my dry-cleaning last week. Karen always greets everyone who comes into her dry-cleaning business with a great smile and eye-contact and asks how are you, listens, engages. Sometimes we have a great conversation about the town or our families or the weather.  Last week we got to talking about our lawns and gardens and the rain and the cool weather and the weeds and we can't get out to work in the yards 'cause it's always raining and/or just mushy from the previous rain....

And I laughed, we laughed. If that's all we have to complain about...we're living a pretty blessed, fortunate, happy life.

I am thankful ...that's all I have to complain about.

Key Lime Pie: It's spiritual, really

It’s really a spiritual experience. For that brief fleeting moment, all is right in the world. Worries and fears, to-do’s and didn’t get done’s, goals and purpose, paths and journeys...all meld into Oneness. A sweet, light, tangy, slightly tart, bit of goodness that completes a meal or even better starts a meal.

Key Lime Pie delivers the experience of the sound of creation: Agni. It delivers the Ahhhhh in Agni that expresses the infinite satisfaction of that first bite, before the Eater's experience collapses in on itself with the G of Goooood. And then expands back out with Ni,-i-i-i or neeeeed just one more bite....

The best Key Lime Pie delivers a taste of life where your every action leaves the the proverbial line in air. The Eater is left with impression in their chit from which future karma could arise, no sense from leaving stuffed and desiring to avoid Key Lime Pie or over-saturated and wanting an immediate second piece. In fact, a 2nd piece would possibly ruin the sublime satisfaction that is ...Key Lime Pie. The Eating is complete leaving the Eater fulfilled.

Key Lime Pie...a spiritual experience. And The Missus is my guru.

Picture from Reluctant Gourmet.

Science Fiction

It's Friday. And it's my blog. Together they empower me to write about a secret delight: science fiction.

I love a good, no great, science fiction novel. I'm reading Rollback right now. It's set in the not too distant future, with a story about technology and its impact on our lives, our relationships, our identity.  It's missing alien species, lasers, death stars, time-jumps, body-enhancements, bio-engineered life forms...ewoks, emperors.

But, still it's a great story. It starts with today and stretches me into...the not too-distant tomorrow.

That's the mark of a good science fiction book. The author inspires you to invest your imagination by offering you a Hansel-Gretel trail of treats of familiar reality...then walks you into your imagination with some trail markers from current science, some projected science, some cool what-ifs...And if they can tell a good story, offer some meaningful drama...I'm in.

I like the brain experience reading a good sci-fi book. Focusing on details and then backing up into wide expanses of possibilities. It's like an accordion fan opening and closing, closing in on details and opening up to possibilities. Roller coaster of emotions are great in movies. I like the accordion-fan of thinking in a good science fiction novel.

Every 2-3 months, I need to indulge myself in 2-3 sci-fi books. As time goes on, I find I have to search harder and harder to find the sci-fi novels that deliver that experience. I search for winners of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, ideally both received for the same book. But those are only once a year and lists of those recipients are as available as those secret documents Dick Cheney and his daughter keep talking about...or were talking about during last month's PR campaign. Speaking of science-fiction...

Anyway. Have a great weekend.

Mark

Mark’s a friend. I’ve known him for 20+ years now.

He showed up in class one day, 1983 or 1984. Quiet, dignified, poised, collected.

I didn’t like him.

I assigned ‘fake’ to him. Or I should say I ‘projected’ fake on to him. He wasn’t. Maybe I was.

As we interacted in small groups and then socially, I saw he genuinely possessed those qualities, but not just those qualities.

He was funny in an understated, intelligent way. I had the feeling over the years that he was silently watching a comedy show all day long. A private showing. And only those closest to him gained admittance to his private theater, shared his reviews of this perpetual comedy played out before him.

I never met his parents. I understand his dad was a corporate exec. I could be wrong.

 Mark played tennis. Played it well, too. I didn’t. I was ok with that. It seemed too much work to learn.  (“Too much work” meant too many losses in hot unbearable weather in a setting where cursing, pushing and shoving your opponent was deemed inappropriate.) And I sensed that his upbringing led in part to his dignified, poised, bearing.

Man, could he give a presentation for a corporate boardroom. Organized, clear, steady, good documentation...way back when before we had PPT.

Looking back, I sense he was bored with it all. Like he realized it’s part of the script in the movie before him. And he was playing a role, but only playing it. And he played it well enough for his audience.

One day I picked him up hitch hiking. He had hitch hiked about 4 hours from his home, mostly on 2 lane roads through rural Iowa. He was dignified that day, too. It was hot, with no shade on the entrance ramp. I have no idea how long he’d been standing there.  A few hours I think he said. That’s when I realized there’s a depth to this guy I’d never seen before.

We picked him up. And he was the real Mark for the 30 minute ride home. He invited us into his theater for that ride home. And while he was wearing the costume of dignified son of corporate exec, he revealed his bohemian life.

Over the years, our paths would cross regularly at Cafe Paradiso here in town. We’d both be topping off our caffeine tank. And we’d share a few insights in to sports, life, our community, our friends. He was always someone I enjoyed seeing. I knew he heard me, was never judgmental or pinched, spoke with me...present. I always came away feeling better for the time spent.

My schedule changed a couple of years ago. I’m impatient, especially early in the morning. Abrupt, sometimes unpleasantly so. Waiting in line for espresso...well, Mark and his composure seemed to handle it with more grace than I. I bought an inexpensive espresso machine. And our paths rarely crossed again.

Mark got married. And I believe from the glow and smile on his face, his animated walk and talk, from how much faster he drove his car around...that he’d met someone who quietly been in the same theater for a long time. And now they could share that movie together and laugh out loud.

Why am I writing this post?

Mark passed away very recently.  It’s still hard for me to accept that.

I hadn’t seen him in awhile. But it wasn’t like he was gone. I never thought we'd never cross paths again. 

And his passing made me think why I genuinely liked Mark, how in his own way, he’d made my life better, showed a bit of balance is a good thing, a quiet humor is a good humor, and now I’ll miss him. I am thankful for Mark. Wherever you are, dude, keep on shining as you did here.

Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy

His column, The Sports Guy,  is kinda like the secret stash of dessert, the extra bite of chocolate cake, that you have. It has no content that solves a problem, makes you money or shows you the way to reach your highest self. But I always push back from reading his column like I push back from a full meal, sated, satisfied, content with a new view of the world around me, like all is well now in this mad restaurant we call our world, our life, our country. And the din from the kitchen is quiet for a moment, charming, distant.

He's funny, prolific, accurate, opinionated but supported with good data, pulls data from a lot of sources, takes sides, listens well, holds himself accountable, rarely backs down (but will), and consistently delivers a column worth reading.

Take his most recent example, The NBA Playoff Mailbag, Part 1 and  Part 2. Go ahead. Take it, read it, savor it. Save it for when you can read the whole thing uninterrupted. Bookmark it. It keeps well. Or don't wait. Read it first, like you'd eat your dessert first before your palette's ruined by...vegetables...keep your priorities in your reading as straight and clear as you do your diet.

I do. I'm happy. Thanks, Bill.

Mentsch

A client called me that the other week. He emailed me You are such a mentsch. 

My Yiddish being as weak as it is, I naturally puffed up with ruffled  chest hairs (both of 'em) and asked Who's a mentsch? Huh? And who's calling me a mentsch?

And, then I began the self-diagnosis to discover where I became a mentsch, how to avoid being one in the future and what I needed to do to correct it, and would I need to apologize or rumble?

But first, I made sure I understood its meaning. Every so often I've been prone to...ahem...mishear people. I looked up Mentsch in two places:

* My Jewish Learning

What does Judaism have to say about being an adult? The answer can be summed up by the Yiddish word mentsch, "a decent human being."

Huh. That's cool. That's the first time in a long time anyone has referred to me as an adult.

My wife thought it was nice, but chuckled as she turned away...(Is that a good thing?)

And a decent human being....? Now, I'm getting uncomfortable. Maybe, some readers are too. That's not this guy, they're thinking.

* Wikipedia.

Mensch (Yiddish: מענטש mentsh, German: Mensch, for human being) means "a person of integrity and honor"^[1].

Oy ve, I thought. Now what.

No, seriously. I sat back and thought...Wow. That's nice. That makes my day. Actually it made my day for several days.

I'm not sharing this here to say Hey, cool, I'm a mentsch!  I'm sharing it because I'm so thankful for that brief note from a client that came unexpected and expressed their appreciation in a way far more meaningful and personal than a check (though that has its own meaning, thank you) something I'd done.

And I wanted  to also encourage you to say thanks to a client or consultant or customer or employee or family member...in a way that's personal for you and meaningful for them, a way that puffs their chest out, 2 hairs or not.

Friends and Neighbors

It's not a calling plan. They are one of life's little joys and rewards.

I've just been recently reminded of them in the past month or so. This reminder happens on a regular schedule. Good. Not good is that it's a sign I may overlook, not appreciate and/or leave them unattended.

We'll focus on the good. Not only does the reminder occur on a regular basis, but it's a sign our friends and neighbors...are sincere and genuine in their friendship.  That inspires us in great and many ways to continue to ebb and flow, give and give, over the years.

This isn't profound knowledge here. You may be thinking Well duh. Of course. But that's the point. It's not a duh of course thing we all acknowledge with a head nod, checking it off our mental lists of reality check-points.

√ - Friends - neighbors, ebb and flow, give and give...I concur.

It, they, us, we...are the source for celebrations and connections, conversation and community, support and care, laughter and good food, stories that note our progress and values. And when it happens over the years...SUHWEEET. And when a new friendship is started....SUHWEEET.

Friends and neighbors. I am thankful for you.

Help

I am thankful for help. Susan Poirier, founder of Ace Concierge, and Patti Dragland, founder of Strategic Sense, helped me today. They helped correct a glaring typo in an URL I used to help promote Patti's show with me today on BlogTalk Radio.

And the both helped in a way that made it easy for me to accept, embrace, hear...what they had to say.

Sometimes that's the hardest part. Being passionate, dedicated, attentive to details, recognizing the need, seeing the vision...and having the patience and vision to see how your passion can be communicated in a way that inspires change, not incites reaction.

Those two, jointly, were able to do that. Now, granted it was a typo. But an important typo for Patti's brand and for Susan who's Patti's friend.  And being the great leaders, communicators, in their own right...they reached out to offer help.

Thanks!

You can follow them both on Twitter:

Susan Poirier - Ace Concierge

Patti Dragland - Strategic Sense

Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes

I am thankful for Calvin and Hobbes. Not from a daily dose these days, as no new content has been published in years.

No, I’m thankful for Calvin and Hobbes when it, they, were part of my morning routine. Along with The Far Side and Doonesbury, I read Calvin and Hobbes every morning. With my coffee on the table, a pastry and a smile from those guys, I started each day.

That was important, then. I worked at a company that grew from 13 employees to over 700 in about 7-8 years. A frenzied, but wonderful, place to work. And each morning, before entering their doors, I’d get my mind right with Calvin & Hobbes, Gary Larson (Far Side*), and Gary Trudeau (Doonesbury). Thanks, guys.

You can still find Calvin and Hobbes at GoComics. I might have to subscribe to a daily email from GoComics with Calvin and Hobbes.

GoComics is also on Twitter.

* Sadly, there's nothing to see at the website for this great comic.

Sweet Smell of Lilacs

 
That's what I'm thankful for. Our neighborhood is filled, surrounded, loaded with lilac bushes. And they all bloom at the same time. So in these pleasant spring evenings when the winds die down a bit and the stars twinkle out...the sweet smell of all those lilacs fills the air. It's satisfying.

Image: www.sxc.hu

BlogTalk Radio Guest: Mark Silver, Heart of Business

* Mark Silver, Heart of Business joins the show tomorrow at 10:00 AM, Central. You can listen in streaming mode, live or later, at this link. You can also call into the show at 646-915-9212.

When you want to make a difference and need to make a profit, Mark Silver is the expert. Mark shows how business owners and leaders can both drive profits and expand the hearts of all those touched by your company and brand.

Mark, with his Heart of Business approach to success, is one of the hidden gems in the business world. I met him a few years ago when he shared his book, Unveiling the Heart of Business, with me. We've been friends ever since.

Business experts and friends with the heart of Mark, with his wisdom and inspiration and integrity, are the treasures in your life. And he's brought riches, for their hearts and their wallets, to his clients around the country.

You can listen in streaming mode, live or later, at this link. You can also call into the show at 646-915-9212.

Spring Rains

It's rainy today. Cool temps and gray skies. It's been that way for a few days, now. It'll be that way for a few more days, too.

But, at the end Spring will be here in full bloom. Trees will finish budding, leafing, out. More flower will bloom. The gardens will burst forth. And all will be green and lush, alive.

Spring rains. I'm thankful for them.

The Installation of Love

"The Installation of Love"

---

Installing Love on the Human Computer:

Technical Support: Yes, how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to
install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer:  Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running ?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support:  No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer  disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem.

However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ?

Customer:  I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer:  Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer:  Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components."  What should I do?

Tech Support:  Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support:  Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming.

Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support:  Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running.

One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool  modules back to you.

Customer:  Thank you.

God/Tech Support: You're welcome, anytime.

  I got this in an email this week. Liked it. Liked it a lot. Made me smile. Thanks, Josephine.

Fred

That's Fred Gratzon for those who don't know him well. Everyone else calls him Fred.

Fred's one of the people that light up the universe in ways big and personal. He's a giver. He's a truster. He believes in people being happy, that's the path to their, and our, success. He creates situations that allow people to be happy.

He's funny, inspiring, positive, true to his core. Been that way his whole life.

Fred's one of the people you always smile when you see him, even before you speak to him. You always come away thinking your day's a bit better from stopping and talking to him.  

And you have  to stop. Fred's a story teller. His stories are funny. He's interested not only in his story, but yours too.  When he asks how are you, he's genuinely asking. He wants to know.

Fred's the author of The Lazy Way to Success. A bit of a misnomer, really. Fred's not lazy. Fred's point was that it's not hard work that makes you successful. It's finding your passion, your strengths, a reason to give...all day long in creating something greater than yourself. And that's not work, is it?

Fred shared his wit and wisdom, humor and humility, with me yesterday on BlogTalk Radio. You can listen here.

#followfriday on Twitter

I love this...tradition(?)... at Twitter.

Every Friday, Twitterville is awash in tweets with the hashtag of #followfriday. And after entering #followfriday, you recommend others on Twitter, using their usernames, which your followers should follow.

It turns into a Twitter feeding frenzy of support, recognition, encouragement, surprises, delights, connections. All combined create a GREAT way to end the week.

Granted, knowing someone's 'eating a hamburger at jimmie's deli' is...very important. But the feeding frenzy of #followfriday...may have more lasting significance.

And sure, these #followfriday tweets can be...all consuming of Twitter's bandwidth resources and a page or two of entries. But, how cool is that? To consume bandwidth in a celebration of the members of your community?

Other than twitter's use in the event of emergencies, I can't see a better use, can you?

I am thankful for #followfriday on Twitter.

Running in shorts

Finally. The day has arrived. I can run in shorts and a T.

The days where dressing properly for wind, cold, sun, snow or ice is not based on a hope and a prayer and  deciding which discomfort is least irritating.

Do I want to be too cold or too hot?

Do I want to dress for the wind or the temperature?

When will my hands warm up? Is it worth wearing gloves?

Should I carry an extra hat?

Do I want to run hills in the snow, with the usual plunge into enough mush and melt that my feet are wet up to my ankles or shuffle precariously on icy pavement, but with dry feet.

As of today, that's all over. Now, getting dressed takes less time than the run. And it's simpler to grab shorts and T than filter through...layers.

And today, was the first day. Glorious weather. A bit of a breeze, lots of sun, temps in the 60's.  And the paths were dry.

And I hoped no one was blinded by these light sticks commonly called legs. They are a bit pale. And yes, they do serve as independent sources of light, especially on a full moon in summer. The bald head does not function as a spotlight, though. Ah well. Tradeoffs.

Running in shorts. Man, I'm thankful for that.

Moleskine

I love 'em. I use 'em all the time. I have for the past 2-3 years. Some friends gave one to me 2-3 years ago. I've used the lined ones, the grid ones, the pocket-sized ones. I have a collection of all the ones I've used. Every so often, I go back and look through my notes. I sometimes appear in these old notes as clear, concise. And, it's pretty clear I leave a lot undone. Either I have too many ideas or not enough resources devoted to executing them.

Right now, I use the unlined, 4x5 as well as the pocket-sized one. The large one is by me on my desk. And the pocket one stays in my back pocket for quick reminders, notes, questions, etc. I use the large one to scratch notes from my BlogTalk Radio shows.

I love the strap that keeps them closed, the little inside pocket (great for trip receipts and business cards) and the little fabric place-keeper.

Their consistency in design, look and feel along with a growing number of shops that carry them only make them more a favorite for me.

Thank you, my friends. Thank you Moleskine.

Moleskinerie is a great site for both moleskine users and ponderers.

Granted, there are many solutions for your personal notepad.  But the consistency and simplicity of these...works for me.

I am thankful for moleskine.

We are thankful for a Wii-family weekend.

This weekend my wife's family gathered at our house to celebrate a birthday, family, 2 imminent births, cooking, cards, easter egg hunts, coloring easter eggs, our relative good health, more cooking, pets (2 labs, a beagle, 3 cats), good vets (we had one minor emergency) and if all that wasn't enough to unite us...then Wii certainly did.

All ages, all generations, all skill levels...all had fun together, and playing with Wii. I would have had more fun had I won....at any game against any opponent, a 5-yr old or a 70+ year old. Then again, I may not have had more fun. I'm a terrible winner. I brag, I taunt, I laugh, mock, imitate, talk smack...it's like an urgent call for life to make me stop. And it always does with a dazzling smackdown. Still. I may be getting better at toning it down. But, it's always temporary.

So, losing was maybe more fun...in this setting. Ultimately, I could have won if I'd wanted to but I didn't....I let you win. So, there. (See I can't stop...)

Back to the point here. The family weekend was great. Thanks to everyone especially their mom/daughter and my wife who organized it all. Wii was great fun, for the whole family, with no hyperbole in that claim. I am thankful Mike brought his Wii with him.

Thanks, all.

Ace Concierge

What  difference Susan Poirier and her business, Ace Concierge, makes in my day. Ace Concierge is a Virtual Assistant who helps me in so many ways.

 A god send....maybe that's a bit over the top. But only just a teeny bit

But what she's accomplished, how easily she's accomplished it, how quickly and seamlessly, how the quality is so high, how she follows through with every commitment, has been a delight. Her work has helped me see more possibilities and opportunities for what I can achieve.

I know there are resources and skills and talents with Ace Concierge...I haven't seen yet.

I am thankful for Susan Poirier and Ace Concierge.

You can follow her on Twitter at ...aceconcierge.