Lloyd: What do you think the chances are of a guy like you and a girl like me... ending up together?
Mary: Well, Lloyd, that's difficult to say. I mean, we don't really...
Lloyd: Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight! I came a long way just to see you, Mary.
The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?
Mary: Not good.
Lloyd: You mean, not good, like one out of a hundred?
Mary: I'd say more like one out of a million.
Lloyd: (pause) So you're telling me there's a chance... YEAH!
Mary: Well, Lloyd, that's difficult to say. I mean, we don't really...
Lloyd: Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight! I came a long way just to see you, Mary.
The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?
Mary: Not good.
Lloyd: You mean, not good, like one out of a hundred?
Mary: I'd say more like one out of a million.
Lloyd: (pause) So you're telling me there's a chance... YEAH!
In my work as a mediator/facilitator I've worked with groups that were facing some interesting challenges.
A bit of an understatement there. This week I've been struck by the differences among the people that have been sitting around the table who have been working on the same set of challenges and their response. What a variety in world views and skill sets! Then add varying amounts of optimism, fatigue, creativity, expertise, tolerance for change, stress and it's been two weeks of process that I wish could have been taped as part of a documentary. But that probably would have only amplified some of the "challenges."
A bit of an understatement there. This week I've been struck by the differences among the people that have been sitting around the table who have been working on the same set of challenges and their response. What a variety in world views and skill sets! Then add varying amounts of optimism, fatigue, creativity, expertise, tolerance for change, stress and it's been two weeks of process that I wish could have been taped as part of a documentary. But that probably would have only amplified some of the "challenges."
In my head when I first started I was asking "Are we going to do this the easy way... or the hard way?" Definitely not the easy way.
But I remain VERY OPTIMISTIC because success is not defined by how easily or quickly we could arrive at the wrong decision, NOR by how we could avoid the discomfort that was necessary to make us the best versions of ourselves. Rather this process is about arriving at the desired goal with our ethics intact -- even if it's slower or harder or more painful.
But I remain VERY OPTIMISTIC because success is not defined by how easily or quickly we could arrive at the wrong decision, NOR by how we could avoid the discomfort that was necessary to make us the best versions of ourselves. Rather this process is about arriving at the desired goal with our ethics intact -- even if it's slower or harder or more painful.
So with two weeks to go before our World Peace and Prayer Day big event, I remain upbeat. And although this guy in the cartoon is probably freaked out about the squeeze, maybe the snake is really trying to give him a hug (with just a little too much force).
With that note...hope to see you on the Mendota Bridge, MN for the World's Biggest Hug June 19. Even if we don't set the new world record, the process of planning this event is the true goal...and we're getting there in the right way, together. So sure it'd be awesome to have ton of people come out, have some fun, get the record. But those things are the bi-product and a bonus, not the goal.
With that note...hope to see you on the Mendota Bridge, MN for the World's Biggest Hug June 19. Even if we don't set the new world record, the process of planning this event is the true goal...and we're getting there in the right way, together. So sure it'd be awesome to have ton of people come out, have some fun, get the record. But those things are the bi-product and a bonus, not the goal.
As I log off for the night, I choose to believe in miracles (those provided by the Divine and those that are waiting to be unleashed in each of us!). Hope you enjoy your weekend. :-) Take some time to smile and laugh.
