When It Rains...

After we got home from the hospital yesterday evening, I was in bed and "resting comfortably" (that's the last time I'll take that expression literally) on Percocet by 9 p.m. (Pix of the day from the hubby's perspective are here.)

A piercing screech awakened the household around 8 a.m. (No, it wasn't me - yet!) The smoke detector had gone off in response to the clothes dryer electronics catching on fire. Kids and I were freaked out - youngest is whimpering and hanging onto his favorite softie, and I'm trying to get out of bed quickly without ripping my incisions open. Ouch.

Stinking Sears. The dryer is less than 2 years old. This is the third replacement of washer/dryer combos in this house in the last 9 years.

The husband is online shopping for a clothes dryer right now. I told him anything but Sears. Sounds like it's a Maytag this time around.

Kids are playing Lego Star Wars.

My head isn't in this thing, so I'll quit for now. Peace out.

What I Aspire To

Autobiology

Just Like Any Other Day That's Ever Been

I grew up in an Apocalyptic family. The end of the world was imminent, and there was really no point in preparing for a future 'in this world.' As a kid, I expected that the end would come long before I turned 25.

It was a shock to wake up on my 25th birthday and find myself still alive. In fact, it was somewhat of a disappointment.

Overall, I never much cared if I lived or died - what difference could it possibly make? The end was near anyway.

And then I became a parent.

Twenty-some-odd years later, I'm distressed to find myself facing surgery (and by extension my own mortality). It's not so much that I care about extending my life for myself, but I know that my kids would suffer without a mom.

So, I'm going to talk to the surgeon today.

Make-a-Flake!

Nexus For Change

This week my friend Debbie sent me an invitation to Nexus for Change, a conference she is helping to plan on participative change methods.

Scheduled for March, the conference is close to home in Bowling Green, Ohio. Lots of OD luminaries are scheduled to attend, including some of my personal heroes: Billie Alban, Peter Block, Juanita Brown, and Nancy White.

To my friends and colleagues with an interest in OD - check it out! The conference fee is relatively inexpensive ($299) and the lodging costs ain't bad, either.

nexusforchange

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday

I've spent hours and hours uploading and editing links on del.icio.us the last few weekends. I'm not sure it's very useful for anyone . . . if you've clicked over there and discovered something interesting or unusual, let me know, won't you? It's time-consuming, and I don't have a sense that it is adding value for me or my readers (all 10 of you).

Part of the reason I'm doing so much backroom maintenance is that I'm feeling a little overexposed. Adding the extra blog (greenbuckeye, remember?) has been a bit of a mental burden, even though I haven't written any content over there, either.

For some reason I feel like that blog is going to require more disclosure than I'm comfortable with right now. I've also become hyper-conscious all of a sudden that I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about sustainability as I thought I might be, and on top of that I don't 'walk the talk' in any significant way. I suppose that realizing this is important in my personal development as a leader and a citizen. But do I really want to open myself up to criticism of my personal Midwestern suburban housewife lifestyle? Don't I have enough on my plate?

If I Could Save Time in a Bottle

A year ago yesterday, members of the MPOD 2006 class landed in London and Brussels for the international residency. Half the class studied complexity with AMOC in Ashridge, and the other half studied group dynamics with CIGO in Leuven.

It was the time of my life.

For me, the learning that began in Leuven continues to deepen over time. The quality of my experience of the people associated with CIGO and Kessels & Smit was so different from my day-to-day experience here. Of course, it was a peak moment and one that all of us were anxious to optimize on many levels, so it was special. Somehow, though, just the nature of their culture of open and direct communication was eye-opening and life-changing.

None of this is anywhere near making sense as I re-read. I wish so much for my words to touch your hearts, and I fall short every time.

To commemorate the day and the memory, I called and emailed a few of my fellow travelers yesterday. I wish we could raise a glass of Leffe Brun together on the sidewalk cafe at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels to celebrate. Instead, here is a link to some photos from the trip.

There was a time.

The Answer to How is Yes

It's a strange title for a book, isn't it?

I finished reading Peter Block's The Answer to How is Yes this weekend. This book is a kind of manifesto for leadership and "acting on what matters," the subtitle of the book.

I'm so impressed with this work that I'm thinking about giving copies of it to all of my fellow MPOD 2006 graduates and my colleagues and friends who want to make a positive difference in their workplaces and in the world.

Peter Block doesn't pull any punches about what it means to question the status quo, and what it could mean for your own personal advancement in an organization. Questioning whether our collective actions are directed toward important and meaningful activities as opposed to accepting the goals defined by others is a sure way to make yourself unpopular. However, Block tells us that this is part of owning our own lives and earning our personal freedom and citizenship.

This is a dangerous book.

Monday Report-Out

I never made it to the Community Congress II. The Detroit coordinator called me late Friday afternoon and encouraged me to stay home. He was concerned about the weather and minimal turnout, and he thought it would not be worth the risk, effort, and time to drive the 3.5 hours.

Since I was having second thoughts about it, I decided to listen to my gut and his Buddha-nature. I'm disappointed, and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to work with AmericaSpeaks soon.

I spent a bunch of time this weekend working on the Green Buckeye blog and learning more about blogging in general. For example, I have a del.icio.us account now.

Very briefly, del.icio.us allows you to share your bookmarks, and to see the bookmarks other folks have saved. Click the little blue-black checkerboard icon that appears in the right-hand column of this page to see what I've got shared. It's not much right now, but I anticipate that it will grow over time.