teresa

Thursday of this week I went to the monthly CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) lunch in Walnut Creek.  Upon leaving the meeting I remembered I wanted to run by the Downtown Walnut Creek Business Association to see if they had any posters of downtown Walnut Creek.  Tomorrow, Saturday, we are holding an outreach program for high school girls to introduce them to careers in commercial real estate.  Our subject property, proposed to be redeveloped, is in Downtown Walnut Creek so I was hoping to find a cool poster with info about the surrounding attractions.

So I google map navigated myself to the building a few blocks from the lunch location.  I turned the corner and looked for a place to park and pulled into a space on the street.  The spaces were at any angle, neither perpendicular nor paralell to the sidewalk.  As I pulled into my space I saw a man with the hatch of his truck down in the space immediately next to me on the driver’s side and he was gingerly sharpening a large knife.  It was quite a frightening sight for a split second.  The only time I see people with knives that large is either on the food channel or while watching Dexter.  I paused for a moment as the knife made two or three more passes on the sharpener and my mind tried to understand which one of these things didn’t belong.  Eventually my eyes made their way to the lettering on the side of the truck “Mobile Knife Sharpening”.  Relief.

I got out of the car and couldn’t but nearly giggle at the man sharpening knifes on the street.  I quickly said something I am sure original like, “Ya, that’s not creepy”.  He laughed and said well the company description on the car normally helps.  And I replied yes indeed it does, when part of me thought it was more likely just a really good cover for a mass murder like Dexter.  The knife sharpener turned up his creepy, horror flick charm and with a monster style giggle  proceeded to sharpen his knife as if a really good member of a haunted house act.  I laughed at the entire situation and escaped to gather my downtown map.  He handed me a company brochure  and told me I had a nice smile.  Quite a nice mobile knife sharpening guy!

I observed my first Make A Wish visit.  This was the first visit to gather information from the child regarding what she would want for her wish.  The other task is to collect documentation needed from the parents.  I attended as an observer since I am a new volunteer.  There is also a lead wish grantor and an assist wish grantor.  To be honest I wasn’t totally sure if I was allowed to talk.  It wasn’t completely clear in our training although I got the impression we (observers) were mostly supposed to listen.

Well you can guess how that went, a Kulesza woman told not to talk just to listen… that lasted about 5 minutes.  I couldn’t take it anymore.  I felt very comfortable interviewing our child to brainstorm her wish.  I definitely learned that from the years of watching my mom as a teacher.  I think there is a certain energy and approach to take with a child.  I did however  found it a bit hard as the girl we interviewed often answered our questions with “I don’t know” which she tended to say with a silly voice with her hands thrown over the top off her head.  Our goal was to get her to describe her wish.  What it might feel like, what she would do, rather than just a simple statement of a place to go or a thing to have.  Make A Wish’s mission is pretty clear and Magical is  word you can’t miss when listening to anyone from Make A Wish speak.  I found myself searching for that magical opportunity.  Looking for where this little girls passions might lie.  What would make her, if even for a moment, forget that she was or is sick.

I found that I often ended up asking not so open ended questions in search of something other than I don’t know.  Which in turn yielded a yes answer so I am unsure if she just agreed with my suggestions or if they were truly what would make her wish special.  I am certain of one thing.  At the end of our visit I asked her if there was anything that was really important that she wanted to tell us before we went, that she really wanted to make sure didn’t forget.  She said with resounding certainty that she loves Pet Shop toys (these silly little animals that play in different building structures).  She had already shown us her collection.  I asked if there was anything else before we left.  She thought just for a second, and said again I love Pet Shop toys!

My mom would appreciate that her favorite subject is reading.  She shared with us her favorite book.  And when I asked her what she had on the lanyard on her neck she said with uncanny simplicity that it was her library card.

As we were ready to go she asked us not to leave.  This was the same little girl who her mom almost had to drag out of her room to great the three strangers who were there in her living room to learn about her wish.  I explained we had to go as we had lots of planning to do for her wish and that we would be back.

I learned then that it would be hard to not be able to plan the wish.  In fact the staff will plan the wish.  Which is probably a good thing as they are well experienced at making the wish happen flawlessly and magically.

We will be able to return with the information about the wish when it is ready and we will at that time be able to bring some extras perhaps some Pet Shop toys and a book by her favorite author to add to the celebration of the delivery.  And then I should prepare myself for that will be it.  We will again say goodbye although with no reason to return this time.  Our purpose is both special and succinct.   To bring something wonderful and magical to a child and a family who has had to endure more than what seems fair.

I meet with a group monthly in Pleasanton.  The group is organized by a retired  CEO of a large paint company.  His name is Joe.  I think he is one of my favorite people.  Out of the kindness of his heart he organizes this group that gathers monthly for about 90 minutes.  He always has a topic, often an article of some sort we all read before hand and discuss.  He has some dynamite people in the group that appear to be part of an even smaller group of mentees that I am working to break into.  At any rate last month he announced that we would be reading the book the Slight Edge.  I promptly picked up the book and started my reading.  For February we are to have read 3 chapters.  Well I finished the book already.  It was great.  I am definitely going to read it again I liked it that much and at that time I going to distill out my favorite quotes and make a one sheet I can refer to when I need a boost.  Some of the lessons I really enjoyed are the following:

• Your salary is typically the average of the people you are friends with, a more specific way of saying what my father and I think his parents said which is: ask me who I am and I will tell you who my friends are.
• Generally the slight edge is about harnessing the power of small, seemingly insignificant steps, that over time result in huge successes (compounding interest).  The author posits that the slight edge works in both positive and negative directions.  So for instance one cheese burger will not make you fat, although a cheese burger once a week for a few years will probably add some pounds.  Conversely he suggests reading 10 pages of a positive self improving book each day, overtime gaining the knowledge and energy from those books will improve your life.
• Plant, cultivate, harvest.  In our society there seems to be a need for immediate results, the slight edge is about knowing that taking the steps will provide the results although never immediately.
• Write down your goals and refer to them often – this is the one part that I will be working on.  I have my goals.   They are written and they are in a pile of papers I haven’t taken the time to look at.  That is not right, my goals are so important that I want to focus on them each day so I can take baby steps towards achieving them.

So now I am reading a Kabbalah and Business book that some how I purchased a while back.  I think it was one of those Amazon suggestions, people who bought this book (which I think was The Starfish and the Spider which I haven’t read yet) also bought… and in order to receive Super Saver Shipping I ordered it, the title is True Prosperity.  I am really enjoying it.  I think Elliott is afraid that I am going to drift off into a cult somewhere never to return as myself.  However I like the way the book is presented.  I do not know if their way of thinking is right or true although I think the idea provides a good way at looking at life’s struggles, and stress and fear.  The first few pages of the book they talk about a persons desired to be fulfilled and that caught my eye as that is my word for this year, fulfilled with balance – those are my goals in a nutshell.  Anyway the book goes on to say what most people achieve is success with side effects.  I think that the slight edge talks about that as well.  That often executives may be very successful at work although have not found balance with their family.  I think that is success with side effects.  The slight edge is about taking baby steps in all important categories of your life which the author of the slight edge suggests are: health, personal development, relationships, finances, and life overall (with a focus on purpose).  Back to Prosperity another part of this book is about being at the cause of your life rather that at the effect of it.  My Vistage chair talks a lot about this, the book refers to it as being the boss of your life.  The book also talks about the effect of the ego.  The book describes ego as an illusion or a fake self.  I think that is interesting, I think that in general people use ego to protect themselves although ultimately I think that it ends up shielding us from really connecting with others.

Here are some of my favorite quotes/ideas from the slight edge:

• In talking about not fearing failure: Babe Ruth set a world record for home runs, he also led the league in strikeouts.
• There is never anything but today.
• Success is not a random accident.
• For you scientists: a body at rest tends to stay at rest, a body in motion tends to remain in motion.
• Results come last.
• My all time favorite: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

I am certainly not perfect.  I have made some of the slight edge steps in my life already.  Mostly related to personal development by reading.  I do think more about what I eat.  I haven’t yet committed to exercise on a regular basis.  I blame it on the weather.  Although I think the slight edge says something about successful people live a life of responsibility so I take responsibility for my lack of exercise and I desperately want to improve in that category.  And then I have relationships to tackle.  At any rate I am motivated and excited to focus on my goals and achieve fulfillment and balance in 2010.