One Good Decision I Made

Thinking back about good and bad decisions during my life, here’s one that I made right. In 2013 I was driving home from a workout and felt a twinge in my chest. It got worse and as I approached an intersection where I could turn right into our residential area or left into a hospital, I chose to go to the hospital emergency room. Seventeen minutes later I was being operated on for a heart attack. I was very fortunate to not have blacked out while driving. Also if I had been out hiking that day, I wouldn’t have made it. I count my blessings.

A Surprise Lesson Learned

In the mid-1990s I was in a consulting firm with two other partners. I had always followed the unspoken rule of not arguing with my partners in front of the customer. One time I violated this rule. We were meeting with the president and chief operating officer of a division of a large corporation. While giving our recommendations, one of my partners and I got into a debate about one recommendation. This was a no-no, but it had an unexpected effect. It turned out the two top people we were presenting to had the same differing views, but they had never voiced their respective opinions. With my partner and me having this disagreement in front of them, it gave them permission to also have this debate between themselves. The result: they reached an agreement they otherwise wouldn’t have. Our consulting mistake ending up being a huge benefit for our customer.

A Favorite Story

Here’s a favorite story of mine from a long time ago at a parent-child program: Two young men had been selected to compete to be the next Chief. Each was given a tinderbox with an ember and told to climb the nearby mountain at night. The first to reach the top and light a fire with the ember from the tinderbox would become the next chief. The two men started out after dark. Around midnight the first man reached a spot where an old man lay shivering in the cold. The old man asked the younger man to use his ember to relight a fire. The young man replied, “I can’t stop. I need to reach the top of the mountain to become Chief.” He departed. Shortly thereafter, the second man arrived and again the old man beseeched him to light his fire. This man thought about continuing on his journey but realized he needed to save the old man from freezing in the cold even though it might cost him the competition. He used his ember to relight the old man’s fire and then added an ember from that fire to his tinderbox. He raced ahead to complete his journey even though he realized he would not be first to reach the summit. Just before dawn, the people below watched as a fire blazed on the top of the mountain. The first man had reached the summit and opened his tinderbox to discover his ember had died out. The second man when he arrived at the summit, had an ember still alive and was able to start a fire and become the new Chief.

Positive Messages

We’ve been going through a period of pandemic, political turmoil and social isolation. I have found myself being negative or succumbing to sending out negative messages. I’d like to challenge myself and my friends, particularly fellow writers, to post positive stories. As a writer and storyteller, I’m aware of the power of a good story. Let’s share our positive stories with each other.

Here’s my first one: after a month of frustration I was finally able to get an appointment for a COVID vaccination for my wife and me through the help of Gerard and Pearl at the Von’s Pharmacy in Lakewood, CA. Their friendly and professional assistance made this a positive experience for us.