I've Made Little Progress in Some Areas

I sometimes use this blog as an outlet for thinking about how much I've changed as a result of being married. I ponder everything from how my bathroom is now filled with a bunch of objects I never knew I needed, to what it means to move cross country in scholarly pursuits while balancing being married to a woman who has her own very important career interests.

As fun as it is to talk about transformation, it's also useful to step back and realize areas in which I've made no progress in. Take for example social cooth and preparation at holiday potluck dinners. I vividly recall attending my first holiday party with a white elephant gift exchange when I went to college in 1999 -- I had to stop at the store to buy cookies and what would turn out to be a terrible gift (I believe it was some sort of candle in a glass minutes before the party. Although no one ever said it, I know the cookies were terrible and the person who got stuck with my gift disliked it as well. Flash forward some ten years to a holiday gift exchange potluck I had today, and it is like time has stood still for me. I had to stop at the store to buy a pie because I don't know how to bake anything tasty (and not to mention I would have to cook in a commercial oven that looks intimidating), and I bought what I thought was a great "white elephant" gift (it was a do-it yourself lead detector kit with a note on it that said "have a SAFE holiday). Others had equally tacky gifts, but for the most part they were quite useful. (I would argue that mine was quite useful, too, but in a sort of way that anti-venom is useful to someone who lives in the north.) So, suffice it to say that I have made little progress in the way that I prepare for and engage in holiday functions.

Perhaps some day I will have a real kitchen, a couple of good recipes for tasty potluck food, an ability to discern what would be an appropriate gift. Until then, I will show up with store bought bakery goods and do it yourself lead tests. Or, in the case of the holiday party I have to attend for Erica's work on Thursday, it's store bought salad and a "grow your own bonsai tree" kit. Yikes.

Applebees - The Great Purgatory of Food

As a nice celebration for the end of the semester, our class went to Applebees for appetizers and drinks. It was an incredibly fun time to hang out with everyone in class, including our professor; one in which is especially exciting because we rarely get to hang out as a large group outside of the classroom. The night was fun, but I came to two incredible realizations (at least in my mind) about Applebees.

The first is that Applebees has no discernable image. They've done a lot to shift their image away from the down home, come-on-down-to-the-neighborhood-grill, support-the-local-team atmosphere, but it really lacks an overall image now. It's sort of reminiscent of K-Mart trying to get away from the sell-a-bunch-of-crap-on-bluelight-special image -- successful in getting away from an image, but incredibly unsuccessful in finding a new one. Applebees and K-Mart are in a brand identity crisis of sorts, I think. One needn't look any further than the three pictures located adjacent to the restroom at our local Applebees to see what I mean. Hanging side-by-side are pictures of Enrique Iglesias, a picture of the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers, and a construction sign.

Second, Applebees is what I like to call the great purgatory of food. Not good, not bad. Not spicy, not bland. Not quick, not slow. Not friendly, not rude. It just sort of "is." I've never had a bad meal from there, but I've never had a particularly good meal from there either. Even the people they hire there, they aren't bland, nor eccentric. It's quite a revelation, I think.

What's your local Applebees like? The same?

Leading with an Open Heart

I read a leadership article a while back that had such a profound effect on how I understand leadership that I see examples of tenets of the article on an almost daily basis. It's called "Leading with an Open Heart," and speaks eloquently about the difficulty we have in our society to forefront the convictions we have in our hearts when practicing leadership. The authors say that, "But to stay alive in our spirit, in our heart, requires the courage to keep our heart open; it requires what Roman Catholics call a sacred heart or what in the Jewish tradition is called an open heart. We can talk about the practical reasons why it's important to keep an open heart -- and there are practical reasons -- but chiefly it is important for your own spirit and identity."

With so much controversy surrounding our world, it's hard to see much evidence of leading with an open heart in our society, especially exemplary examples. But here is one I came across today, and if ever there was an example of someone leading with an open heart in a very public way, this is it:



It's hard not to feel his struggles and convictions when you watch this. Imagine pouring yourself out to a news crew, to face the almost certain risk of losing so many friends, colleagues, and family members' support. Makes me think how much better off we'd all be if everyone practiced leading with such an open heart.

Ravenchase

Last month, Erica and I participated in a "Ravenchase Adventure," which is really just a scavenger hunt for adults who enjoy using their minds. It's sort of like National Treasure meets Amazing Race (you'd love it Julie!) A private company sets up a Ravenchase course, and participants have to solve a series of clues that lead them to different destinations that lead to more clues. Once all of the clues are solved, there is a mega-clue of sorts that directs teams to a local bar (also known as the finish line) to meet up with other teams. It was an excellent time for many reasons. We were able to meet a number of new people, we got to explore downtown DC like we never had before, and we were challenged mentally (which is always fun for folks like us!). Even being novices, we managed to take third place, finishing in just under four hours.



(I look humongous in this picture, btw. I assure you it's just the camera angle.)

I think the folks over at Ravenchase are on to something. It's an excellent team builder for students and corporate events alike. It sure beats doing a ropes course!