Crack Head, Meth Addict, or Blight on Society, Rebuilding Bridges, The Elephant in the Living Room
"There's a a phrase, "the elephant in the living room," which purports to describe what it's like to live with a drug addict, an alcoholic, an abuser. People outside such relationships will sometimes ask, "How could you let such a business go on for so many years? Didn't you see the elephant in the living room?" And it's so hard for anyone living in a more normal situation to understand the answer that comes closest to the truth; "I'm sorry, but it was there when I moved in. I didn't know it was an elephant; I thought it was part of the furniture." There comes an aha-moment for some folks - the lucky ones - when they suddenly recognize the difference."
Good morning, Hello Tuesday, another day, another amazing life experience. Cheers to all that can read these words. It’s 5:13 a.m., I’ve got a solid day planned of new connections, working for our current clients and planning for our future.
I’m in a good place, we choose not to drink last night, I slept great, trying to be a better steward of my mind and body, it’s a constant struggle, but I think I’m making headway. With my Queen, anything is possible.
One of our kids had a birthday yesterday; she turned 24, it’s amazing as a father to have three children that are major contributors to society. Two I made, one I had nothing to do with the creation, the birthday girl was the one that does not share my DNA, but I love her still the same.
With three children, the odds are that we would have one that is a crack head, meth addict, or blight on society, but somehow, all our kids are solid, engaged members of our world. They give more than they take, they are all going to leave this world better than they found it, as a parent that makes me proud, teach your children well.
I’ve got a meeting that starts at 7:30, a peer group we started a few years ago; it’s open to my fellow business owners, we meet and discuss our current struggles and successes, we are all ebbing and flowing at some point. It’s nice when flowing to help those that ebb, and when ebbing, it’s nice to be supported by those in a flow state.
I’ve got coffee with a stranger, and then I head up to Muncie to see a long-time friend and client. I’ve got a conference call with some other agency owners to review planning, get their input and share my thoughts on how we might each change the world next year.
I think that is our mission, change the world. As business owners, we can play small and eek out an existence, or we can think big and radically change an industry and do things no one else can fathom.
I reconnected with an old friend yesterday. We used to do business together, we mutually decided years ago to go our separate ways, but he read something I wrote and reached out. I was glad to hear from him; we didn’t end on a positive note; he wanted to meet and catch up.
When he arrived we shook hands, he sat down and said: “I get on LinkedIn occasionally, I read something you wrote, it was pretty dark. I thought I needed to check-in.” I asked what he read; he said, “something about demons.” I smiled, “Oh, that one, 98% of my writings are positive; you read one of the 2% that was lacking light. I promise I’m in a very good place.”
We sat for an hour and a half, we both have had some major changes in our lives, he got a divorce after 43 years of marriage, he’s found a new love, he’s remarried, he’s extremely happy and has a few homes around the country, I invited him to our Colorado home, it was good to rebuild a bridge that we had burned.
Maybe that is my message to you if you have a burned bridge, reach out and connect. You need not set up a time to reconnect, but let that person know you are thinking of them. Life is sticky, messy, and relationships can breakdown for many reasons. I never had ill will towards my friend, we disagreed about business, it cost us a few years, but bygones are bygones, cheers Ron, welcome back to my circus.
There are very few people from my past I wouldn’t connect. It has been written that an average person meets about 10000 people in their lifetime. That number seems low to me, I seem to meet a new human daily, I have an open heart to receive other’s gifts, but stay away from drama seeking individuals. I can think of a handful that if they reached out, I would not respond, it’s better living life without the connection with select humans.
I’ve written before that life is about the human connection. At the end of the day, that is all we have, the connections we have with others, the learning of skills and ideas from our fellow men, women, and transgender beings. Allow people to be who they are and accept them as they show up, then decide if they are worth your time to engage. Here is to another great day, make this one count, you don’t have many left.
"There's a phrase, "the elephant in the living room," which purports to describe what it's like to live with a drug addict, an alcoholic, an abuser. People outside such relationships will sometimes ask, "How could you let such a business go on for so many years? Didn't you see the elephant in the living room?" And it's so hard for anyone living in a more normal situation to understand the answer that comes closest to the truth; "I'm sorry, but it was there when I moved in. I didn't know it was an elephant; I thought it was part of the furniture." There comes an aha-moment for some folks - the lucky ones - when they suddenly recognize the difference."