Hungry For Change? 35 Years of ODB

           

Sr. Josanna Abromaitis 1944-2005

Thirty-five years ago, Sister Josanna Abromaitis SSND swung open the doors of a little storefront soup kitchen in Baltimore and invited about 100 hungry men and women in for a hot lunch.

            Today, on the anniversary of her death, Our Daily Bread is Maryland’s largest and most famous soup kitchen, having served more than 7 million meals over almost 13,000 consecutive days.  The program, which once served lunch to the Pope, has transformed thousands of lives, including both its guests and the 10,000 volunteers that make it possible. 

            Catholic Charities of Baltimore is celebrating Our Daily Bread’s anniversary with a free poverty forum October 26 at Loyola University of Maryland from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.  “Hungry for Change: How Our Daily Bread Transforms Lives” will feature Prof. Kathryn Edin of Johns Hopkins, author of $2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, and Sr. Patricia Chappell, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA.

            There will also be a panel with Harold Smith, former Catholic Charities Executive Director who conceived of the program, volunteers, and former guests who have experienced ODB’s transforming impact.  Since I was lucky enough to play a role in the founding of the program, I’ll be Master of Ceremonies.

            To register for the free program, please visit cc-md.org/ODB35.

What's a "Business Hour"?

           

             In the 21^st Century, energy is more important than time.  At least, that’s what I argue in my courses and my book, Getting UP! Supercharging Your Energy.  As proof of that concept, I offer you the “business hour.”

            After a recent business trip, I contacted Hilton Hotels about a possible problem with my bill.  In response, I got an email that promised, “We take your feedback very seriously and will do everything possible to resolve your concerns in a satisfactory manner as quickly as possible.”

            And then, after that hype, they added, “Please allow us 72 business hours to resolve this matter for you.” 

            Here’s the BIG question: does that mean three 24-hour business days or does that mean nine 8-hour hour business days (or up to 13 “calendar” days)? 

            Of course, I asked them in a return email what they were talking about. No response yet…that will probably take 72 business hours, too.

            The truth is, we really don’t care how long your process takes; we just want it done.  Now.  That takes energy. In the 20^th Century, you called somebody and they fixed the problem.   In the 21^st Century, we get “time excuses.”

            Here’s an even more ludicrous example from the same trip.  I made the grievous error of buying a snack on a United Airlines flight.  The attendant swiped my card but…no receipt.  I was told I could get that online.

            Well, after ransacking the United website, no luck. So I sent an email to their euphemistically-named “Customer Care Team” asking how to find my receipt.  They promised, “we will address your email and respond back to you shortly.”

            They then explain that “shortly” is “generally within 10 to 14 business days.” 

            It takes the “Customer Care Team” more than two weeks to find their way around their own website?  Of course, we know how long it should take The Friendly Skies to answer my question: less than five minutes. 

            But that’s five minutes of human energy. And by United’s careful calculus, their energy is much more important than my time. 

            As we used to say in geometry class: QED.

What’s on the Other Side of “Tired”?

             “I’m too tired,” the young woman said.  

              Since she was part of a talented group of younger leaders (and about half my age), the statement stopped me.  I remembered my father’s persistent comment -- “When I was your age, I didn’t know what tired meant” -- but I didn’t say that.
            “When I’m tired,” I replied, “I usually go for a nice 30-mile bike ride.” 

            That drew some quizzical looks from the crowd.  Yet all of us have discovered that, at times, we can go from tried to energized…in a matter of seconds.  That’s because “tired” is often a choice. 

            We think we should be tired, perhaps after a long day.  Then a friend calls and we’re ready to play.  Long distance cyclists know that you can “change your mind” about being tired…and go on for many more miles “on the other side of tired.”

            Franciscan Richard Rohr says “Pain is the rent we pay for being human, some say; but suffering is usually optional.”  We all get tired; sometimes, we choose to shut down long before we need to do so.

            Not a bad concept for Labor Day.

The View from the 1%: Yield to My Horse

            Only a few days ago, only a few miles from this Baltimore County, Maryland sign*, a cyclist died in a collision with a pickup truck.  Because the rider was too dead to tell his story, the driver did: the biker lost control and crashed into his pickup.**               

           Unfortunately, he wasn’t the first rider killed or injured on these bucolic country roads. Seems like these pesky bicyclists are a real threat to horses -- and pickups.

            After more than four decades of riding back roads and passing many scores of horses, I can tell you exactly how many have “shied.”  Precisely zero.  None. Not one. Never happened.  The problem described on the sign is a rare -- far less than 1% -- occurrence.

            On the other hand, I have many times almost been run off the road by massive pickups pulling even bigger horse trailers. And I can tell you  how often I am passed much closer than the legally-mandated three feet on the very same roads in the sign. Many times.  On. Every. Single. Ride.  It’s a 99% problem.

            That doesn’t mean this sign is wrong.  It makes a good point.  One of the most stirring sights you can see from a bike is a gaggle of these horse persons sprinting across a field after a pack of hounds.  I not only yield;  I marvel at the beauty of the spectacle.

            I just wish drivers would remember this “share the road” stuff when they get down off their high horses…and into their Lincoln Navigators.

            *If you’re having trouble reading the sign, it says:

CYCLISTS

Please be careful when approaching horses

Because bikes are so quiet horses do not hear you coming.

When they do see you, they will shy, endangering their lives and

The lives of their riders. Please let the riders know you are there.

SLOW DOWN OR STOP

Give the horses a chance to cross the road.

Riders and horses have been hurt from cyclists

Particular problem areas have been at

Butler, Cold Bottom and Mantua Mill Rds.

Please enjoy these roads as much as we do and

SHARE THE ROAD

            ** Funny: this is the same thing the driver of the truck that hit me a couple years back said.  Since I wasn’t dead, the police and the insurance company didn’t believe that lie.

Deer? Oh, DEAR!

             Chess grand master, author and new riding buddy Jesse Kraai shares this rather dramatic video of a deer/bike interaction.

            It’s every rider’s nightmare, especially this time of year when cool evening rides coincide with the deer’s favorite time to wander…

            I’ve had couple of friends meet deer this way and it is no fun.  I try to enjoy watching them in the fields rather than letting them become ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that might limit my riding.  It’s all about good intellectual energy!

NO Computers in Class?

“Should computers be barred from the classroom?”

            That question triggered a spirited discussion the other day at a faculty meeting at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Prompted by a Wall Street Journal story headlined “I’m Banning Laptops from My Classroom,” professorial opinion ranged from “computers MUST be in the classroom” to, well, me.

            Since I started teaching several years ago at Bloomberg, ranked the #1 public health school in America, I have flatly prohibited any 21^st Century technology in my class.  No laptops, no smart phones, and no iPads or assorted “tablets.”

            Although I spell this out in my syllabus, few students bother reading a syllabus, and so there is usually shock and awe at my first class of the semester.   I have to dole out paper and pens because many students no longer carry such ancient writing implements.

            Interestingly, several of my students were in the faculty meeting and they spoke out in favor of computers…in some classes.   Nobody was nervy enough to suggest computers should find their way into my marketing class.

            Why do I ban these devices that have essentially become one with our bodies?  Here’s what the author of the Wall Street Journal piece, Rutgers law professor Stuart Green, said he experienced when he walked to the back of his classroom while a guest lecturer taught his class:

            “What a revelation to see what the students are up to. While virtually all of them have open laptops and most are taking notes, many seem more intent on emailing and texting, posting on social media, reading news sites, shopping online, or looking at YouTube videos. I recently saw one student systematically checking out law-firm websites for summer-associate salaries. Another spent an entire class streaming an NHL hockey game.

            “If this is what the students are doing while I’m sitting behind them, observing the class, I can only imagine what they’re doing when I’m up front, lecturing.”

            What do you think?  Computers in the classroom -- or not?

To be continued…the impact of technology on our energy.

Want A Free Midsummer Energy Boost?

            You can now download for free the ebook version of Getting Up! Supercharging Your Energy.  My new book details the strategies of my popular energy seminars that will help you reduce stress, accomplish more and improve work-life balance.  But hurry: the offer is only good until August 4 at 11 am EDT.

            The book’s focus on energy management -- and not just time management -- can help you, your team or your organization dramatically increase performance.

            Lots of books promise better performance…Getting Up! proves it.  Using its energy techniques, last year I rode a bicycle across America in just 18 days -- averaging 150 miles a day.  Not bad for a 66-year-old with a heavy training, consulting and teaching schedule!

            What could you do with that kind of energy?

            You (and your employees, friends, clients and family) can download the Kindle version of Getting Up! (normally $5.99) for free only until this Thursday at 11 am at

https://www.amazon.com/Getting-UP-Supercharging-Your-Energy-ebook/dp/B01G5TUKQ8

            Have a higher-energy summer!