Mike Befeler's Blog, page 24

A Surprise Lesson Learned

In the mid-1990s I was in a consulting firm with two other partners. I had always followed the unspoken rule of not arguing with my partners in front of the customer. One time I violated this rule. We were meeting with the president and chief operating officer of a division of a large corporation. While giving our recommendations, one of my partners and I got into a debate about one recommendation. This was a no-no, but it had an unexpected effect. It turned out the two top people we were presenting to had the same differing views, but they had never voiced their respective opinions. With my partner and me having this disagreement in front of them, it gave them permission to also have this debate between themselves. The result: they reached an agreement they otherwise wouldn’t have. Our consulting mistake ending up being a huge benefit for our customer.

A Favorite Story

Here’s a favorite story of mine from a long time ago at a parent-child program: Two young men had been selected to compete to be the next Chief. Each was given a tinderbox with an ember and told to climb the nearby mountain at night. The first to reach the top and light a fire with the ember from the tinderbox would become the next chief. The two men started out after dark. Around midnight the first man reached a spot where an old man lay shivering in the cold. The old man asked the younger man to use his ember to relight a fire. The young man replied, “I can’t stop. I need to reach the top of the mountain to become Chief.” He departed. Shortly thereafter, the second man arrived and again the old man beseeched him to light his fire. This man thought about continuing on his journey but realized he needed to save the old man from freezing in the cold even though it might cost him the competition. He used his ember to relight the old man’s fire and then added an ember from that fire to his tinderbox. He raced ahead to complete his journey even though he realized he would not be first to reach the summit. Just before dawn, the people below watched as a fire blazed on the top of the mountain. The first man had reached the summit and opened his tinderbox to discover his ember had died out. The second man when he arrived at the summit, had an ember still alive and was able to start a fire and become the new Chief.

Positive Messages

We’ve been going through a period of pandemic, political turmoil and social isolation. I have found myself being negative or succumbing to sending out negative messages. I’d like to challenge myself and my friends, particularly fellow writers, to post positive stories. As a writer and storyteller, I’m aware of the power of a good story. Let’s share our positive stories with each other.

Here’s my first one: after a month of frustration I was finally able to get an appointment for a COVID vaccination for my wife and me through the help of Gerard and Pearl at the Von’s Pharmacy in Lakewood, CA. Their friendly and professional assistance made this a positive experience for us.

Listening to a Young Storyteller

As a writer and storyteller, I’ve learned that it’s important to put obstacles in the way of my protagonist to add conflict and tension in a story. Recently, I experienced my 5-year-old grandson doing this as he played. He was moving a train along a wooden track and narrating what was happening. To make it more interesting, he started adding obstacles to the train’s progress: taking out a piece of track and adding barriers over sections of the track. He then had to come up with solutions for continuing to move the train along the track. Instinctively he has discovered how to make his play story more interesting.

More Back to Normal?

March 19 will be a key date for my wife and me in returning to a little more sense of normality. That date will be two weeks after our second vaccination. Sure, we’ll continue to wear masks out in public, social distance and avoid large gathering. But I expect to slowly move away from the home isolation we have followed for most of the last year. I’ve been ordering food online. For the most part this has worked but, often the store is out of items we need and we don’t get exactly what we’re expecting. I plan to resume in-store food shopping with my mask on. Our pod has included our 5-year-old grandson. I’m his zoom assistant, and we play, work on school assignments and perform science experiments. I think we’ll be able to pursue more outdoor activities in the near future.

Success

After trying for a month to get an appointment for a COVOD vaccination, I finally succeeded. I’ve been tracking 27 vaccination locations near where I live and none of them has had openings for reservations. As a last resort, I decided to visit six pharmacies close by to speak with a person. At five of these, they said they couldn’t do anything and to go to the web site. I explained I had been going to their web site multiple times a day, but no reservations were available. I asked if they could put me on a waiting list but they said they couldn’t help me. At one pharmacy, I had a good conversation with the pharmacist, and he said he would put me on a waiting list. I thanked him profusely. That night I received a phone call from this pharmacy with news of spots opening for my wife and me the next day. I leaped on it.

When we went, there was no line, we quickly filled out paperwork, got our shots, waited fifteen minutes, were given vaccination cards and our follow on appointment. It was refreshing to find helpful people in this frustrating situation.

Good News, Bad News

On the vaccination front, there is good news and bad news. The good news: more pharmacies will be providing vaccinations. The bad news: it’s still impossible to get a reservation for an appointment where I live. It’s disconcerting that some health care workers who qualify are refusing to get vaccinated while many of us wish we had their appointments. Hopefully, we will see progress.

ProVaxers Face Challenge

There are AntiVaxers who don’t want to get the COVID vaccine, but the bigger issue is for those of us who are ProVaxers but can’t get the vaccine. I am currently tracking 27 locations within a short drive of where I live that offer vaccine. I check early morning and in the late afternoon. Over the last week none of them has offered vaccination dates. I’ve got close several times when a site indicates dates available but after putting in a bunch of information about me and getting to the final page to confirm at date and time, poof, a message appears that no appointments are available. It’s frustrating, but I realize many people are facing the same frustration.

A Breath of Fresh Air

With all the conflict and problems lately in our country, I’m looking forward to positive change. One of the biggest complaints about Joe Biden is that he’s boring. Well, I’m looking forward to boring. We’ve had enough histrionics. We need some calm, clear leadership, and we’ll see what unfolds. In spite of different policy opinions between the right and the left, my hope is that we can unite on what is best for the country and do it in a caring and  constructive way.

Lack of Vaccine Coordination and Information

I live in Los Angeles County and have been trying to get some useful guidance about receiving a vaccination and how to make an appointment. I’ve tried my primary care physician, a nearby hospital and the County. What has become frustrating is the conflicting information from federal, state and county authorities. In Los Angeles County I should be in Phase 1b tier 1. The county says this will start in early February. There is no provision for making an appointment, and we’re almost half way through January. Meanwhile, vaccinations are running way behind the existing supplies. How are thing being handled in your part of the country?