A Note of Thanks

Bubble by zacktionman on Flickr CC BY NC Empathy is a strange thing. It's difficult to truly put yourself into someone else's situation until you really know that person. Until that situation has a face. A voice. A smile. It's one thing to see the ASPCA ads with the Sarah McLauchlin song in the background. It's completely different to fall in love at first wag with a pound puppy. In my bubble of Midwestern, white, fully employed, fully insured optimism, it's not always easy to do more than sympathize with the struggles of so many. Fears of medical bills that make care unattainable. Fears that ignorant comments about skin color, religion or sexual preference become acceptable and not called out for their blindness. Fears that my family will be torn apart simply because the country they were born in is on a list. This is when I rely on the people I actively add to my life through social media and through real life connections. I need to hear the stories of pe...

There are situations in life where no normal sympathy card makes sense. There are relationships that don't fit into the love or friend category. Times when Just for Fun cards that don't have a swear word do not come close to describing what is about to go down. When you are looking for those kinds of cards, go to Emily McDowell    ( http://emilymcdowell.com/collections/greeting-cards ). She's got you.  A personal favorite: I'm a grown-ass lady and I do what I want.  You just thought of someone who would appreciate that, didn't you? Cards are a reasonable $4.50, and if you buy six or more single cards, you get 25% off your card order. Hat tip to two blogs that made sure I checked out this site: The Bloggess and Susannah Conway .

Time by Stefanos Papachristou on Flickr CC BY NC I used to work at a bank where birthday and work anniversary notes from executives were part of the company culture. Even with about 350 people on staff, the executives made a point to know everyone who worked there. During my seven years at the company, I did informational interviews like mad. At least once a month, I picked up the tab for lunch to learn from someone I admired. Pretty much every executive at that organization made time for me at least once. I'm sure they weren't in it for the free lunch. These informational interviews provided me insight into everything from identifying skill sets to working to get myself into the right place at the right time. I've done a few interviews periodically since leaving that company with other people but short of an occasional LinkedIn update, I had lost touch with those executives. During the holiday rush, I ran into one of them at Target. That casual "hello" i...

Life Preserver by Petteri Sulonenen Flickr CC BY There are some people who will help everyone. With anything. Your garbage disposal went out? He buys them in bulk for his rental properties and can get you one cheaper than you can buy one. Need someone to fill in with a presentation for someone who dropped out? He says he can put something together quickly, no problem.  Everyone likes having givers around. They are typically kind people, looking out for others. They are the first to lend a hand or an ear when a co-worker has an issue. While givers tend to be positive people, it can also be easy for givers to absorb other emotions from people who aren't so positive.  It's been a busy couple months around the office. In the fall, we talk with every one of our partner schools. We have about two weeks of downtime while schools are on holiday break while we do follow-up from the partnership reviews, and then we start right back into January term starts. ...

Silence by Giulia van Pelt CC BY NC ND There is a theory that once you notice or become interested in something, you start seeing it everywhere. The idea pops up in articles you read, conversations you overhear, products you see. What would have otherwise seemed random becomes a pattern, something more than coincidence. It seems like the universe is telling you to follow this white rabbit. I listen to a number of podcasts. Most of them are business and finance-related so there are the inevitable common themes -- saving, earning more, giving. Often, the same author will appear on several podcasts within a few weeks if they have a new book coming out. On occasion, though, a theme will appear that seems unexpected. Recently I had two podcasts cover silence. These two episodes showed up back-to-back creating that flashing sign saying, "This is for you." Both podcasts covered how difficult it is to find silence in our daily lives. They both encouraged actively making time...