While walking through, you can usually find me snapping photos of design ideas for changing the house *yet again* and eventually, before I end up at the exit, I’ll have had the sudden “need” to purchase a small, usually cheap, organizational apparatus or *yet another* sheet set or kitchen item to make my house (and life) finally click. Today, however, i was already more than halfway through the showroom before i realized – not only had i absolutely no desire to buy anything, i suddenly saw the big picture and the whole key to the perfectly organized house and life.

You don’t need organizational tools, bins or schemas to help you organize if you just have less stuff.

I mean, my “epiphany” might be your “duh” moment, but this definitely was an “ah-ha” moment for me when the last few years suddenly just came together. Here’s how i think i finally ended up here:

I’m pretty sure it all started with high fructose corn syrup. Hang with me for a sec, this will all make sense soon. However I got on the HFCS kick, about 3-4 years ago i decided to take a stand against the rampant use of HFCS in everything and start reading labels and only buying things with sugar in them. Let me just tell you how annoyed i was to find HFCS in my cough medicine and my beloved childhood brand of apple sauce. Starting out, everything in my fridge with HFCS in it, got an X on it  and when it ran out, i’d look for an HFCS-free alternative- and let me tell you, that was not easy. Today, however, companies have gotten the memo and you can find plenty of “throwback,” “classic” or similarly branded items with sugar, like they used to have.

After that came the rest of my diet… I had read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food and it opened my eyes (again) to the eating local and more consciously concept that somehow, over the years, had gotten lost in my life. Around the same time, a friend of mine invited me to a screening of FRESH at a nearby church where local growers, raisers, and makers of food were set up and my whole life changed. I learned about CSA’s and since that very moment we’ve been completely ignoring the existence of the middle of the grocery store (if not the grocery store all together), buying meat only from happy grass fed cows* or happy roaming chickens, making sure our milk and eggs are from said happy animals and buying what we can at local farm stands and markets for the fruits and veggies. I’m still working on a source of cheese, yogurt, and other similar dairy products that meets my now serious requirements (but i’m pretty sure within the year i’ll be making them myself).

Somewhere along the line of the HFCS crusade, the last straw was that i could only find canned mushrooms that were grown in PA (40 miles north), shipped to China for processing and then shipped back for canning. And so began my moratorium on anything made in China. It had the added benefit of making me think i could do my part for the ”carbon crisis, continuing the local idea, and voting with my dollar as far as international trade regulations were concerned (hello lead paint). It didn’t take long to realize that everything we buy is made there and gave me a mental image of a land full of factories, instead of the beautiful China my aunt speaks of from the  70s. Regardless,it is possible to find things made elsewhere (or god forbid in the USA). You may have to look a little harder, pay a little more or simply go without, but i think it’s worth it.

Similarly, i started to bug my normally receptive parents about their use of paper plates and cups over their regular dishes, and their need for paper napkins and paper towels instead of reusable cloth ones (which we’d been using for a few years now). because of the environmental issue (one word: WALL-E). I’m happy to report that I finally won that battle a few weeks ago. My next goal with them is to switch them to biodegradable trash bags.

About two years ago, when we moved to our current place, we learned the county had a very aggressive recycling program that accepted essentially everything (seriously not kidding) without it needing to be rinsed, cleaned, or sorted AT ALL. I’ve always recycled but now we were tossing out a huge bin of recycling and only a tiny half-filled bag of trash each week. If we composted (it’s coming, i can tell), we’d have no trash at all.

So all this is going on in the food and environmental sphere of my life, and over in sphere B, i’m still fighting the seemingly never-ending battle with my stuff. It needs to be organized, cleaned, picked up, and purged CONSTANTLY and it seems that every spare moment i have (not many) includes a to do list that has “organize X” or “clean up Y” right at the top. But even when i did that, it never looked or felt like I had made a dent.

I constantly felt overwhelmed. My home office was a dumping ground and it was a constant battle of moving piles from open spot A to open spot B in order to move something else just to have space to do stuff. Instead of spending time on projects, work, or just doing nothing, i spent time trying to get a hold of the “stuff monster.” We live in plenty of room for two people, but i felt like i was being crowded out.

In an attempts to at least curb the incoming stuff, last Christmas I put serious limits on the gift giving. Gifts is what my dad does. It fills him with joy to buy things that he thinks you will enjoy – and even more joy when he sees you open it on Christmas morning. In fact, until last year when I started imposing those limits on Christmas  (just call me Scrooge), Christmas morning gift giving was an almost all-day affair, each of the three of us taking turns opening one item at a time. But all that stuff takes up space and i was at my mental limit. Dad did okay last year – he tried, he really did- but it was painful and I still ended up with stuff because no one knew how to change the tradition of an all-day gift opening fest when there seemed to be nothing to fill the space with. The boy and I were creative with our own Christmas, however, wrapping games we already owned and playing them after they were unwrapped. This year, i’ve put a COMPLETE MORATORIUM on stuff at Christmas at home. One gift each, if you must at all; high premium on experiences over things; homemade items are good. Things made of plastic, in China, or something that won’t last forever are verboten.

If you’re wondering if my stuff problem extends to the bedroom, it does. The bedroom closet, that is (sheesh, people). A tshirt and jeans girl (& no shoes if i can help it), i never understood or was taught the concept of an outfit. What Not To Wear intrigued me, but always left me mostly baffled when it came time to apply the theory. Mostly solo clothes shopping was basically hell for me, and i continued to buy pieces, instead of seeing the whole picture (which is funny because i’m really good at seeing the whole picture everywhere else in my life and work). This all leaves me with a closet bursting at the seams with things that maybe kinda go together, but not really. And regardless of the things i owned, I still basically wore the same few things. Enter Kendi Everyday. I’ve had Kendi in my rss reader for maybe a year now but only recently have really started to pay attention to her 30 in 30 project – 30 items to make 30 outfits in 30 days. Basically – forcing yourself to see your clothes in a different way, and make them do new things for you. I had the unique ability to wear a skirt and have it still look like my normal tee and jeans uniform- no extra finishing pieces, no accessories, nothing special – slap it on and you’re on your way. But in the last month or so i’ve seen more new combinations in my closet than i have ever. For example, I had no concept of just how different a whole outfit can look just by tucking in a shirt. Bless you, Kendi. (Outfit Mentor status also goes to my friend A whom i very much miss shopping with (especially now that i know what i’m doing.)

So where does this leave us? Well, enter two of the final pieces of the puzzle: 1) my complete abhorrence for my current commute and my intense desire to work closer to where i live / live closer to where i work at some point in the not-so-distant future and 2) my reading of The Feast Nearby (also, a blog). Dreams of living locally, biking around town, knowing my neighbors and canning my own chutneys and whatnot (because with all this local veggie buying, winter is going to suck), everything consolidated for me.

Somehow a life that was never about stuff, turned into one of not just stuff, but complacency and a disconnect from nature as i tried to find my way in the world. I bought into the completely ridiculous idea that if i dressed a certain way, bought into this new productivity practice, or purchased a new thing, something would click and it’d all be okay. But letting go (of expectations, material things, and completely bullshit ideas of the kind of person you have to be to do x, y, or z)… making careful and conscious choices about my life (and the stuff in it)… and following the bliss – naysayers be damned – is my true path now. And i can’t tell you how glad i am that i’ve found it, even if it seems to have taken forever.

So the journey has been long, but the destination isn’t yet here. I’ve been selling our stuff on ebay like mad, we’ve ditched our TV service (with the added benefit of confusing and annoying The Company and saving a lot of $), I’ve relearned the word “no” and we continue making good choices for ourselves – happy cows, sustainable building materials and being creative with what we’ve got and making what we don’t (if we must).

All this to say, with less stuff, you really can do (and be) more.

———-

* I can tell you with absolute certainty that there is a difference i can feel between meat from a happy cow versus an unhappy one (think the difference between open field and feed lot). i feel better after the meal, it’s easier to digest, and tastes completely different (read: better). My mom was skeptical but let me buy them a pound of “happy cow” (as it’s now come to be known in our houses, though i’d imagine that if the meat is in my procession at some point the cow was no longer happy). They kept it frozen for a while but finally cooked with it. Mom was astounded- she didn’t feel a heaviness and sloth that she usually does after eating beef and she noticed the difference later too as it didn’t make her stomach do flips during digestion. WIN!

possibly related posts:

1. ToDo: 2009
2. Book lending; Netflix style

With the exception of the Volkswagen commercial (which is just damned adorable), i can’t stand car commercials (well, all commercials but car commercials tend to annoy me way more than usual). But this Toyota commercial is BRILLIANT.

We see a fairly – vapid isn’t the right word- girl sitting at her laptop with all her vintagey-feel items behind her on the bookshelf (which i bet were bought at Target instead of at a thrift store or passed down or handmade) talking about how her parents basically aren’t getting the modern idea of friends and socializing- clearly, since they only have 19 facebook friends and she’s got 687.

I love this commercial so much because it states REALLY CLEARLY a) what older adults think of us (us = the millennial’s, screenagers, etc) and b) what i think is all sorts of wrong with the world today (world = first world, obviously).

I hear conversations on the metro, in the grocery store and in the ether about facebook and, as the commercial puts it, “cute puppies” instead of – oh i don’t know – the debt ceiling, Oslo, what we can be doing about making the world a better, more awesome, safer, more educated, and equal place. Conversations are happening about things that didn’t happen in physical space and time and we’ve relabeled the not important, not urgent stuff as both urgent and important (okay yes technically, the internet is physical space and time, but you know what i’m trying to say, right?)

Okay, i know plenty of people (those i usually choose to associate myself with) who *are* discussing the big things and not just the “like omigod, he totally did this and then i said this and omigod how’s my hair” crap but i’m being harsh to illustrate a point. The commercial (to me) speaks of two issues: the fact that we (us youngin’s) have incorrectly redefined “socializing” and that we’re giving too much thought and time over to the crap that doesn’t matter. (*cough* Farmville *cough*).

Tell me if this sounds familiar to you:

You swipe open your device and look at it. It didn’t buzz, blink, or chirp but it calls to you. You check twitter, facebook, your email, tumblr, etc looking for new information – clearly in the intervening minute and a half since you put it down, something earth shattering must have happened? You flip through and tag an article to read later (not even now, when clearly you have nothing better to do), favorite someone’s witty tweet about their cat, and upload a photo you took last night of yourself at the computer. You go back and refresh twitter, fb, and your email. Nothing new. You pause because you’re not sure what to do with yourself now. (i have some suggestions).

If any of that sounded even remotely familiar  i suggest you put your device in a drawer and go for a walk. To maybe even pay attention to your to do list and start checking things off it.

We’ve let our devices and the technology define us instead of using the devices and technology to do what we do best, better.

The internet and other technologies could allow me to live in a box, devoid of sunlight, and order and pay for everything i needed – food? delivered. bills? paid. entertainment? enjoyed (maybe). But no where in there are other humans. The more i don’t interact with other people, the more i start to feel like i exist alone and the more self centered, self serving, etc i get – which leads to a lack of civility (why be nice when i’m the only one who matters?), increase in greed (it’s all about me), and increase in destructive actions (i’m above the law, i wont get caught, no one will know, etc).

Call me old school (or just plain old at the ripe old age of 28-again), but I think paying more attention to the physical will help us solve a lot of problems we’ve found ourselves in lately. Environmental issues relating to agriculture problems, feed lots, and the commercialization of the family table? Fixable when you start riding your bike to the farmers market and talking to the people who grow your food.

Now, i’m not saying the internet and our devices are bad (if it wasn’t for the internet, i’d be out of a job), i’m just saying we should use them to work for us, instead of letting them rule our lives. And for the love of Pete – to put them down every so often.

I recently had a conversation with my mother about communication – and when i mentioned how in the (actual) old days prior to answering machines (yes kids! machines!), when someone called and you weren’t home, you never knew! And you just weren’t available! My mom (strangely) came back with something along the lines of “but that’s not how it works today and when i call, i expect you to answer!” (i knew i shouldn’t have let them give me a cell phone to go to college with).

We talk of information overload (here, here, here, and here – to name a few… even though i just think it’s filter failure) and fail to realize that it’s quite simple to solve it – step away from the computer/tablet/smartphone/etc and go talk to some real, physical, face to face humans.

Perhaps it’s just that we (at least i do) work in a very in-your-head profession. We do lots of sitting, thinking, collaborating, reading, etc. It’s brain work. And at some point your brain needs something else.

In the last few months I’ve had almost a standing date with some friends to go see a movie (usually non-mainstream) and have dinner. It’s these interactions – the eating, the walking around town, the breathing in different air and seeing different sights that allows my brain the space to think differently.

I hear friends whining about their lives and then i see them tweet/post about how many episodes of Deadliest Catch they just finished watching. To quote the best poster ever, “If you don’t have enough time, stop watching tv.” Get out and go do something.

Okay so what’s my point? My point(s) are that we need to remember there are bigger things out there – that community (physical community too!) matters – and that the technology should be working FOR us, not the other way around.

On that note, i’m going to leave my computer, get on a plane, and go visit some humans for the weekend.

—-
here are the other commercials, clearly making fun of us, making fun of them: Missing Them, Messages, Commute, Cross-Country

possibly related posts:

1. a word on Geico commercials
2. thoughts on seeing clearly

I know i’m not alone in feeling that life can be a little unsatisfying. Why unsatisfying? We don’t know where we are, where we’re going, what it all means, etc, etc, etc. And maybe we look behind us for some inspiration and we see that the past holds pieces that feel more real, more amazing. More like the life we think we want. The great thinkers and artists, the inventions and ideas, the fights for freedom, change, and a new world. Maybe we feel that people aren’t fighting as hard, or contributing as much, or that we’re more lazy or more greedy or more stupid than our counterparts in the past. Maybe we just feel that we’ll “never be that good.”

But i now know why we think that. It’s a perception issue.

The problem is that we’re not done cooking. We do not know how history will paint us. It is only with the brushes of hindsight and the paints of time that we’re able to truly understand the world, how it worked, how it was intertwined, and the pieces and players that were instrumental in making it the age that it was.

It’s for those reasons that of course the present feels less satisfying than the past – the present is still unfolding in all it’s potential glory. The past has happened – we know the outcomes, the players- we know the whole story (well, kids in Texas might not). Humans tend to dislike stories where the ending is unknown (oh come on – movies that end in a “what” moment? they leave us feeling a little… unfinished)- which, is the case for all of us in the present. We don’t know what will happen. We plan, dream and work towards goals but in the end we have no idea what will come and how it will be. The present is both wonderful and terrifying for that reason.

In the past, we know who rises to greatness and stands the test of time! We know what decisions worked and which ones didn’t. We know which fights were won and at what cost. Who wouldn’t want to live in an era when we know where the pockets of greatness and wonderment are?

Maybe you wish you’d have been born earlier to have created alongside da Vinci during the High Renaissance or sit in the café’s in Paris with the now-classic writers in the twenties or been in Hollywood in the late sixties early seventies when the now-greats were getting their start. Every generation thinks the generation(s) before them were better, or nicer, or more gratifying in some way. As will the folks who come after us. And so on.

And that’s what’s so unsatisfying about the present – we. have. no. idea. It’s not all laid out. Most of us don’t know if those nights in the diner writing poetry on the back of placements will be lost to history or preserved. We don’t know if our story will stand the test of time, nor if it will work out how we hope.

In the movie Midnight in Paris (which i highly recommend you go see), this advice is given: “Don’t succumb to the despair. [It's your job to] find the antidote for the curse of existence. ” It’s our jobs as artists – the creators of things including our own destiny-  to not let the despair get in our way. To do the hard things, the things that we don’t know (and may never know in our lifetimes) if they’ll have the impression, impact, or outcomes we want them to.

The present is unsatisfying because life is a little unsatisfying but we should only take lessons and inspiration from the past, not the thought that it was better than now or that we will never live up to the ideals of the masters. The gift of now is that the story is unfinished. We get to finish it. More stories to start, and finish and start again.

We can not succumb to the despair that the greatness has already happened, that there is nothing new to be done. We have to slay our own demons, let go of what’s holding us back and run as fast as we can into the unknown with as much aplomb as we can and make life our bitch. (excuse me).

To that end, while slightly non-sequitor with my original point (sometimes i have them), i leave you with this message wrapped in a catchy little ditty from [title of show]:

You’re welcome. ;-)

possibly related posts:

1. tragedy happens while the world works
2. thoughts on seeing clearly

I was nervous about seeing the place and how it would match up to my memories- especially in Epcot. I have distinct recollections of Disney and I was afraid at how my other favorite rides (still there, while changed) will have survived time.

While Horizons has been gone for over a decade now, and Spaceship Earth has changed a lot, there was something that gave me calm when i was riding Spaceship Earth. An ease came over me towards the end of the ride – they hadn’t just ripped away my childhood without consulting me – but rather honored the past in their changes and new futures.

In the last bit of Horizons you could choose your own adventure- you could see the future in space, on earth, or underwater. I usually chose space (no surprise there) – everyone in your omnimover vehicle could choose something but majority ruled. Once the scene was selected, your omnimover would get blinders and you’d see a screen with your choice of future.

In a wonderful honor to this old wonderful ride, the new Spaceship Earth has a choose your own adventure ending now too – you answer various questions on a computer screen in your vehicle about what you care most about and it builds your future based on your choices using “technologies we happen to know about.” I have to say i was very happy when i heard references to augmented reality and remote home control. i rode Spaceship earth easily half a dozen times, making different choices each time just as i said i would in Horizons.

Disney has a history of doing things like this – honoring previous incarnations or now-defunct rides- taking pieces of or references to them and scattering them in various appropriate places. Journey to Imagination with Figment is another one of those that has changed too. for the worse*, i think, but the honor and deference paid to the original ride are there too. In the last moments of the ride after you’re blasted with a cold shock of unexpected air, a screen lowers and you see all the figments doing various things (riding a bike, flying in a hot air balloon, etc) that used to be scattered throughout the original ride.

Change is necessary and inevitable. But, as you can tell by my words above, not always welcomed (Figment should not be messed with). Regardless, we move on and the world moves with us. But we can’t throw out or ignore history just because we want to move away from it.

I’ve learned many times that change is a process – one that’s difficult to control because people happen upon it at different times in the change cycle and to different degrees.

for most of us, change looks like this:

a straight shot from what is to what will be with very little issue and battle. not so fast, mister. in reality change usually looks something like this:

Any significant change requires a “hold on – letting go” process. this process ends up looking like the abstract seagull above. people are going to be okay with things, not okay with things, fight to keep things, and then eventually, slowly, move forward in order to align with the change (or you’ll help them out). Here’s my (short and incomplete) list of things to keep in mind when trying to get an organization or group of people to change or make a change:

1. identify what will stay the same. some people need something to hold on to.
2. make the change safe for discussion and invite conversations. give honest answers and keep people informed as soon as you think you know something.
3. support soul searching while in the pit – that bottom of the curve where people start to wonder if all this is really needed.
4. clarify principles and expectations and make sure changes are still aligned with previously agreed-upon core values.
5. acknowledge loss through rituals and honor the past in a way that feels real for each situation/need
6. help people suggest adjustments, keep them involved in the process. allow for mistakes
7. take time to examine lessons learned
8. celebrate completion

Once you’ve gotten your advocates to help you spread the word and make light the work, helped the well poisoners out of the way and convinced everyone else you know what you’re doing, you proceed through the process above. But throughout it and after, you have to show deference to what has come before – it helps make the change easier as well as letting people know that you’re not just coming in and shaking shit up because you feel like it- but because this is the next step in a processional of next steps that started long before you.

In Disney’s case, i was never consulted. Change happened without me so the best they can do is keep parts of the past around for those of us who see them for it. It helps.

* Among other things, Figment is now an orphan as they completely removed any mention of the Dreamfinder as far as i could tell. In other childhood memory-shattering news, while they still have things to play with after the ride in the Imagination Pavilion, the tunnel of rainbow lights is gone. If i ever end up VP of Epcot, guess what’s first on my list? you betcha. I never approved this change.

possibly related posts:

1. why redesign when you can rss? or a little change goes a long way
2. You are the Future of Libraries, no pressure (or Be the conversation people)

Exhibit #1: library catalogs and online booksellers

i used to wander around the bookstore (sorry, library) and look for covers that called out at me. it was a calming thing for me to do and i did it often when i needed to clear my head (with the added bonus of being able to find a book on something interesting in the process). i can’t tell you the last time i did that.

whatever the reason i stopped i get all my books through my library or from an online bookseller. Neither amazon’s or my library’s catalog of books allows me to truly browse the way i used to. serendipity  is gone. sure, sometimes i run across a book title i’m interested in somehow when someone mentions it on twitter or those amazon recommends things actually amount to 5 mins of clicking through finding interesting things, but those happy days of wandering through shelves of books and finding happy mistakes hidden between covers of glue and paper are gone.

perhaps it was just me but more often than not it was something about the physical representation of the item that called to me to investigate further. i found some of my favorite things that way. design always key. isn’t that the way of life? something about a scene calls you nearer on the street; something about a glance calls you closer to a new person.

Exhibit #2: the digital tv programming guide

remember the days when you could just use the channel up and down button to scroll quickly through the channels? channel surfing. Have you tried that lately? It takes a full few mili-seconds for the channel to change and load fully- for me anyway- and channel surfing has turned into scrolling through the program guide- which in turn makes me miss potentially interesting things. let’s face it – the names of some of these programs doesn’t always grab you. how much awesome stuff are we missing? i’m probably not talking about sitcoms but rather those documentaries that somehow always sound so boring or so off the mark that are truly fascinating.

Exhibit #3: your attention

what’s that? you can’t hear me over the tappity tap of your fingers on your universe-connected device? yeah. the world being pushed at us at lightning speed isn’t giving us more opportunities for serendipity. taking a breath now and then, putting down what we’re doing and either standing still or doing something completely different allows our brain to think in a different way and see new things… allowing serendipity to enter. I find that serendipity and other awesome things have a hard time getting your attention when you’re running around like a chicken in a rat race.

okay, bad image. but you get me, right?

what i’m doing about it

blackout sundays. one day a week where i literally unplug. we don’t hit the circuit breaker, but there’s a ban on all things that require electricity. no computer. no cell phone. no lights. sure, cooking is okay but we attempt the oven versus the micro (another lesson in patience, let me tell you). we light candles, play games, and have honest to goodness conversations with each other and ourselves. i might paint or write (by candle light), or we might leave the house all together (what a concept)- giving myself that time to just exist in the world gives my brain time to flag me down and make me notice all those things i missed throughout the week when i still find myself on auto-pilot.

i’m still working on the book thing.

—–

Update: Hey look! This post got picked up by American Libraries Direct, January 19th edition:

possibly related posts:

1. on surfing and life
2. (un)fit to be distracted… or the end of the world

Here’s what i learned from Hobby Lobby based purely on their signage:

aka “only traditional Christian values are important”

Their website says they’re closed on Sundays. Okay, no biggie. Even though sunday is usually the day i randomly decide i’ve got time to fit in a project and end up needing supplies at the last minute, I can drive the 20+ mins to Joanne’s/Michaels.

However, its this sign  - the reason they’re closed Sunday’s that strikes me as strange. If they are closed on SUNDAYS and they do so to allow their employees to worship – does that mean they don’t employ any Jewish or Muslim people? Possible, i suppose, by complete accident. Hopefully not by design.

They could have just said “closed sundays.” No explanation needed.

aka “we have rules here”

they must have had a previous incident with this in one of their other locations because at the top of every aisle, on both sides, is this double-sided, fairly unwelcoming stop-sign type sign telling you to NOT remove items and to NOT climb the shelves.

Okay, i can understand they won’t want people being stupid or getting hurt (or law-suity) but its the excess of all these signs that bugs me. they’re everywhere you look!! At first i thought that these were directional signs because of their placement – high enough to see from afar and at the corner of every aisle. Not the case. and very unwelcoming.

aka “if you wander around lost, you’ll see more to buy”

I was wandering around when i first got there because i wanted to see what they had. It wasn’t until halfway through the store i realized if i had a specific item in mind, i wouldn’t be able to self-service and find it very easily – there were no overhead directional signs!

It’s the lack of signage here that speaks volumes. I ended up speaking to one of the folks on the floor and asked when they opened. When she mentioned that it was only a few days ago I said, “oh is that why there’s no overhead signage – they’re just not up yet?” “No,” she said, “Hobby Lobby doesn’t do that.”

Doesn’t do that? I haven’t asked management what their theory is on signage but perhaps they put such a premium on their sales team being able to help you, and being ever-present that you won’t ever need to read a sign even if they had them! In other words- while sometimes it takes more time, the human connection is of utmost importance. Or, they figure if you wander around lost, you’ll find more stuff you “need” and will buy.

Another sales person i spoke with mentioned that the “art” that is on the outer walls of the place, lining the whole way around the store are the “clues” to what’s in each aisle. (she did say “clues.”) It wasn’t until she said that that i noticed the “art” was anything other than just wall-decor. It indeed told you what you might find in each aisle. That is if you had insane vision and could a) see that far and b) could see through other aisles that were blocking signs other than the ones you were directly in the path of. Fail, if you ask me.

What does your signage say about you?

Not sure? If you’ve been staring at your signage so long you no longer see it, perhaps it’s time to bring in fresh eyes. Like your recent hires, or *gasp* actual customers. Ask them what your signage says about you- and be prepared to act on it if change is needed.

Take a look at all your signs, but specifically the ones that mention your cell phone policy. These are the signs that I’m always shocked they’re worded the way they are.

“NO CELL PHONES” isn’t really what you’re trying to tell people. Is it? With apps, texting, and other non-vocal (and therefore potentially non-disruptive) things you can do with a cell phone, this is NOT the sign you should be hanging.

Perhaps you meant to say:

Also on signage:

• from ugly to beautiful: a remake of library signage (the strange librarian)

possibly related posts:

1. from ugly to beautiful: a remake of library signage
2. Xtreme Customer Service or TTWWADI must die.

See? Panic. (granted, the most hilarious panic i’ve ever seen… but i digress.)

But where others see a snowpocalypse, i see my chance to finally build a snow fort rivaling the 1996 creation of famed family memory. My snow pants and toe warmers are at the ready and now all we need is some downward falling flaky precipitation, slightly more wet than airy.

Snow is due to arrive in the area of my office around noon (a time that was pushed back from the original 10am estimate) but is already falling near where i live (in the suburbs of the city 2 cities to mpow’s south) and while i’m sure mpow would prefer to ensure the safety of it’s employees, and even though i have a pre-authorized telecommuting agreement, there’s been no communication about the impending record-breaking Maryland weather.

No memo, no email, no nothing that we might be closing early or that we’d be closed over the weekend (luckily that doesn’t apply to me, but it does to a lot of others who i’m sure would like to know). The only note is an MSWord-styled clip art of a snowflake on our staff intranet page that links to a 4 month old emergency weather policy reminding us about Liberal Leave – that sort-of helpful thing in the guise of support that says “sure, if you feel your safety is more important than your service to your customers, go ahead, you can go home.”

I admire an individual’s or organization’s ability to not panic even when panic seems necessary, normal, or needed for whatever personal emotional reasons there might be. But panic only serves to cloud your mind and put you in harms way. As my dad, the former fireman, has said on many occasion- “Panic and you’re dead.” And he’s right.

However, the lack of communication can incite panic and higher stress levels just as much as panic can. Not acknowledging a situation might be or is on the horizon (or on your doorstep) does not make it any less of a threat. This goes for both blizzards and landscape changes such as service models, technology, finances or staffing needs. Really, pretty much anything.

Even if you want to make sure you remain open for your customers, in an effort of the best service possible, your staff are serving those customers and any stress or uncertainty they may be feeling about what’s about to happen will undoubtedly effect the service they are able to provide. A little communication goes a long way. Even a “we’re aware of the situation and we will update you on any decisions or information at x-time” can go a long way in making your employees feel protected, cared for, and valued and in turn, making your customers feel the same.

With that said, i am going to be the responsible, working adult that i am and head home – and watch the snow fall until there is enough quantity that i can finally build the fort i’ve been dreaming about for 14 years. A fort from which i will rule with a gentle but firm and knowing hand – always communicating with the people who need me to lead.

Stay warm, everyone!

[all images on this page found through the Flickr Commons.]

possibly related posts:

1. the snowpocalypse of Feb 6th 2010
2. Coping with Burnout (or how to stay aflame)

image courtesy of LiminalMike on flickr

Charity has been on my mind lately. I am fortunate enough to be able to give both money and sweat to the issues, causes, people, and events that i want to effect change in. and there are a lot of things i try to make a dent in throughout the year: homelessness, hunger, abuse, disease, endangered animals and habitats, and so much more. I’ve even given thought recently to carrying non-perishable easy-to-eat foods in my car when i encounter the homeless, hungry, or otherwise needy. And being around Baltimore, there’s a ton.

But there’s two things that have been bothering me lately:

1. Working together or apart?
There are so many charities out there and a lot are trying to help the same cause. While each organization might have a slightly different take on the situation, doesn’t it seem that if there are, say, 3 international organizations to help people get access to clean drinking water, that they’d do more good if they worked together? Who knows, perhaps they do.

I’m not saying they should combine into one organization, but why not? (yeah, yeah, monopoly, etc) but seriously – even if as a concerned citizen i did my research and gave to the charity i thought was the best, or who would put my money to best use, i feel that all that $ and sweat spread out among different organizations who might be trying to do the same thing in the same place would do much better working together and spreading out.

I recall an activity that i participated in during one of the many leadership development things i’ve done – we were broken into three groups and had to appoint a regional manager who would get information from and discuss things with the national boss. all three teams got different information and even though we all worked for the same company, no one in the room thought to combine forces and share information between the regional offices. No one. there were at least 20 adults in the room and none of us thought to work together.

Is it so ingrained in us in this society that we’re independent and must thrive on our own? What happened to our sense of community and working together for the greater good? Where’s the acknowledgment that it’s the end goal we’re after (clean drinking water for all, for example), and not how we got there (making MY charity successful over yours)?

2. What about the everyday tragedies?
Haiti has been on most of our minds now for almost two weeks and there have been countless calls for donations, aid, and hope for the people now having to continue their lives, bury their lost, and rebuild their worlds. People, my family included, have been giving whatever they can in money, supplies, hope, or sweat since the disaster struck. And the media has been there to cover it all; including the Hope For Haiti Now telethon that ran last night on over 37 channels covering over 650 million households worldwide.

I love it when celebs use their power for good instead of evil. But here’s my question – how can we dig so deep into our hearts, wallets, and media coverage for immediate-crisis things like this and yet mostly fail to acknowledge that there’s major tragedy happening every day -

• on any given night in the United States, 664,000 people are homeless

• the United States is ranked 180 of 224 in infant mortality right between the Faroe Islands and Cuba

• 1 in 6 american adults have no health insurance and we’re one of the only two industrialized nations who has no public healthcare option and spends significantly more $ per person on healthcare with significantly less results (great info graphic, check it out).

• 49 million people in the US live in households that lack consistent access to adequate food

I know there are people everyday who are doing what they can to make a difference in this world and help everyone get access to the basic human things they need – food, water, shelter, medical care, love, etc. It’s just that i wish these issues were given more attention in the media other than when something major happens and we can’t ignore it anymore. It’s kind of like “how many people have to die before someone does something?” What needs to happen for something to finally be visible?

I know thinking about these things regularly can get you down – esp when you think there’s no end in sight. But wouldn’t it be a better day when we can look around and know that people have clean drinking water, food on the table, and a roof over their heads? Then we can put our money and sweat into helping people reach their dreams.

possibly related posts:

1. Information Access Failure
2. i have seen the future, and it’s a mess

this period of reflection usually comes twice a year for me, every six months actually, as my birthday is strategically placed between one year and the next. whatever planning my parents did or didn’t do, i’m very grateful of my position on the calendar.

this year, as in every year, i wonder where the last 365 days went. this year in particular went vroom. last year i had a lot of big plans and didn’t do so bad on them, looking back. similarly in 2008 i had some genius words of wisdom to impart on any willing reader, but mostly as a reminder to myself.

but this year is a little different. this year, a 9 year traditionally (though not technically) marks the end of a decade. at my age, this is really the first time i’ve thought about “the previous ten years.” ten years ago i was 17 and didn’t think in decades.

but here it is upon us. we humans like concise wrap ups and nostalgia you’ll have no trouble finding the top music/albums, gadgets/tech stories, news, books, games or anything else “of the decade.” whatever is deemed the “top” stuff, you can’t deny that the world has been busy doing cool (and not so cool) things since the turn of the millennium, especially in technology (including going from the popularization and access of the internet to where we stand today, my goodness).

in the same time, my life has made similar humongous jumps. you grow a lot between 17 and 27. i don’t know it yet, but i’d imagine more growth (or perhaps just of a different kind) than between 27 and 37… but i’ll let you know.

so for my end of 2009 wrap up, i try to put the last ten years of my life into a nice little “defining events” list but i’d imagine there’s a lot more that has defined me that i never even noticed…

i’d say the first five years of this decade were the most life changing.  i graduated from high school and embarked upon a seriously amazing college experience making me realize that i am both invincible and very mortal, capable of making my own world start and stop. i dove into COUNTLESS ideas and topics and theories and books and… well lets just say it solidified that my thirst for learning was going to be with me for life. i made a handful of friends that continue to make marks on my life. all before the end of 2004.

the rest can fit nicely into a fun list:

• started/fell into and finished a 2 year masters program
• held 9 jobs (from 2000 – today) 8 of which i blissfully adored
• dated about half a dozen people, the last of which i’ve been with for most of the latter half of this decade
• bought my first car (2002) & had 125,000 miles (and counting) worth of adventures with said car
• lived in 2 houses, 3 rooms, and 4 apartments
• bought my own house
• traveled to countless US and European cities
• seen many friends date, break up, (rinse, repeat), marry, and birth
• fairly successfully (although sometimes unintentionally) fed and watered my career to the point where my name isn’t unknown
• met countless people who have taught me a great deal. really, everyone you encounter is a teacher if you’re open to it.

looking back i can see the list is long, but I don’t feel a whole ten years older, wiser, or closer to that zen state of self. the funny thing about your current perseption of self is that you always think you’re closer to past self than you really are. i don’t feel 27. but i’m sure that if i hung out with 17 year old Julie, while i’d like her, i’d finally realize that i am indeed very much more grown up.

so, having seen where i’ve been, do i know where i want to go? no. like my 60+ year old dad still says, “i don’t know what i want to be when i grow up.” but as long as i’m smiling (or laughing!), encouraging (myself and others), and always moving towards whatever the next joy is, i think in ten years time i’ll be able to write with a very big smile on my face.

in the meantime, here are some small goals for myself to get this year started. and i’m learning and picking only one. it’s manageable and something from which all my other goals (painting, staying healthy, sleeping better) will grow:

1. give yourself time to exist. spend 15 mins each morning doing nothing but watching the sun rise.

so to you and whatever goals, aspirations, dreams, or hopes you have for this year, i raise my glass and hope for us all that the years to come are bright, healthy, and full of joy, peace, and simple and real solutions. Happy New Year!

possibly related posts:

1. ToDo: 2009
2. Happy 08! (revised)

Make a Google Document. Number the lines as many or as few as you want (minimum 3). Each day, write out a line that answers this question as if you had unlimited resources: “What do you want?” Do this for a number of days. Any answer is acceptable so long as it is true.

I created a google form and bookmarked it on my phone. Every morning i fill it out answering the question “what do you want?” Some are very deep, others not so.

But i’m curious… what do *you* want? I’m not going to qualify anything because i don’t want to taint your answer:

Loading…

I will publish the anonymous findings in December. Answer as many times as you want. If you’re finding yourself censoring or thinking, take a deep breath, empty your head and start typing on the exhale. :-)

On this, the final day of 2009, i wanted to share with you all that you shared with me. Thank you for trusting me, even anonymously, with your thoughts and dreams and desires. Here’s what you want:

• I want to be happy
• my student loans to disappear
• to be a better photographer
• To get my life together so I am no longer anxious and hurried.
• a daybed
• perfect eyesight
• A giant, sprawling, Victorian mansion to house my very own hippie love space where everyone would be free to love one another in a friendly, safe, clothing-optional environment. :D
• Dark chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. That’s all I need to be happy. And this lamp…
• more time in the day
• I want to not have a head cold.
• A new drug
• to be stronger, faster, and fitter – and i’m actively working towards it!
• An uncomplicated relationship
• a kiss
• To not have to try so hard at everything.
• good health
• to make a difference
• Bacon
• Eternal Peace and unstoppable power to carry out my beliefs
• i want to be pain-free
• a fulltime job with benefits.
• good health, peace of mind. and good people in my life
  to feel accepted
• I want my friend back.
• I want to travel to Greece
• faith that mean people WILL go to hell

In this next minute, hour, day, week, month, and years to come i offer all of you with the desire for something: although it may not seem like it now, you can have it.

For those wishes like of travel, better health, or making a difference, do one thing each day towards your goal (save $1 or walk to a colleague down the hall instead of calling them).

For those wishes like happiness or simplicity, perhaps a reframing of the world as you see it is in order. Or perhaps a decision is neccesary. Whatever it is, you’ve got what you need to do what you need to, even the voice to ask for help.

That’s enough out of me but i invite you to keep writing down for yourselves the things you want. See how it changes over time. But don’t forget to look back and see how many things that you’ve wanted, you’ve gotten or made happen. :-)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2010 is bright, healthy, and joyous for all of you!

possibly related posts:

1. Good Customer Service is never saying “no.”
2. thoughts on seeing clearly