Beverly D. Flaxington's Blog, page 13
January 9, 2012
Sometimes That's Me
I was driving a different route to a meeting and found myself in a long line of traffic trying to merge onto a busy roadway. The cars were very slowly moving into the lane of traffic, and it was taking a great deal longer than I had anticipated for my drive. I normally go another route to this area of the city, and would have been in the line of cars letting others in, not waiting to get in – if I had gone my normal route.
December 16, 2011
Proud to be Mean
Last weekend I had the good fortune to enjoy a holiday dinner with one of my longtime friends. We met when we were working together years ago, and have stayed friends going on two decades. We were enjoying a meal together and talking about our daughters and how hard it is to grow up in today’s world. It seems that girls start younger and younger being mean to one another.
Say, "Thank You"
As I was thinking about my next blog and listening to Christmas music on the radio, I heard an advertisement from the head of a media firm. He was saying a public “thank you” to his employees, his customers, members of the military, the police and fire departments and others. He had a list of people in his world whom he wanted to recognize.
Who is in There?
I had the good fortune to have brunch with two of my cousins this past weekend. It’s really wonderful when there are people in one’s family that are truly enjoyable to be around, and these two are that. I’m blessed to have relationships in my adult life with my cousins that I did not have – for a variety of reasons – when I was a child. We find so many common experiences, though, and also are able to share at a very deep and meaningful level. By the end of the brunch, they had “adopted” me as their other sister!
December 6, 2011
Holiday "Cheer"?
I have to admit while I love the holidays, I hate the holiday crowds and the bad feelings that seem to circulate at this time of the year. Going to the mall is a nightmare – no parking spaces, people pushing everywhere and fighting for a bargain as if it will make the difference in their lives. I listen to the advertisements for the “perfect” gift and I can’t help but think about the families and children who watch it all but can’t participate in it due to financial or other constraints.
November 28, 2011
"Right" Would Always Win?
I love this time of the year – preparing for the holidays. I especially enjoy shopping for less fortunate children, and volunteering my time. But when I am alone my most favorite aspect is listening to the Christmas music. We have a radio station that started playing all holiday music the day after Halloween, which is fine with me! One of the songs I really like is often sung by Amy Grant, “Grown-up Christmas List.” She sings about all of the things she’d like to have for Christmas – love, peace and an end to hunger.
November 14, 2011
Move Your Mindset!
Last week I was interviewed on a very lively nighttime talk show in a major city. I’ve been asked often lately to comment on the “Occupy” movements in different cities, and I thought that would be the direction of our conversation. Instead, the host had a number of insights and ideas he wanted to share with his listeners, and he was talking about many difficulties that the unemployed and lower-level employed are facing. Next, he took a call from a listener who vehemently disagreed with his line of thinking and his insights.
October 31, 2011
"Well, THAT Figures!"
The other day I was driving with a colleague of mine to a meeting, and we came to a four-way STOP intersection. Where I live these are everywhere, and the “courtesy” is that you have to wait your turn. Each car at each of the four stops gets a chance to go in order, and then the next one, and the next one. For the most part, the system works pretty well. On this particular day, we were sitting waiting for our turn and when it came, and we started to go left, the car across from us (turning right to go on the same street) went out of turn and went in front of us.
October 18, 2011
High Quality Standards
Last week I was working with a corporate client on transition issues within their firm. The company president, “Ted,” was lamenting to me that his staff was far too lax on quality control. They had prepared material both for internal review and for external distribution that was not correct and had errors. Ted was expressing his concern that each individual in his firm didn’t have a sense of pride for what they do, but rather seemed to do the minimum to get by. He felt their behavior reflected badly on his firm.
October 11, 2011
The Domino Effect
A recent advertisement for car insurance outlined what I think of as “the Domino Effect.” The person in the car crash needed to borrow a car, which meant the person who loaned it didn’t have their car and had to borrow one from someone else. That person had to cancel an appointment, which meant that the person having the appointment with them was inconvenienced, and so on. In life, our actions affect others’ lives.
