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Life, the Universe, and Everything*
Musings from Linda / LUE-42 Enterprises
Issue #106, December 2019
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December already?! November was so jam-packed I can't believe it was only thirty days. How do I even break it down?
Travel: I went to Calgary twice. Once for
beer tasting/tours and once for Grey Cup. I also travelled locally to a distillery and a craft brewery.
Football: I saw my team play off in the East (!) but not get all the way. Ultimately it lead to the firing of the coach -- a good guy with a mediocre record. My 25th Grey Cup in a row was a ton of fun balancing laughs, work, and football. I was once again treated very well by the CFL alumni, and I enjoyed access to things that I never would have seen without them. I love this game and I love those guys.
Art: I saw two new plays and also watched new actors read scenes from published plays. There is high entertainment value in both these theatre experiences. One production (WHOW GOES THERE by D. Belke) stayed with me because it asked the question: How will I be remembered? And it answered the question with: Through our stories. Bingo. I couldn't agree more. Oh, I cleaned up at Rock Bingo, too.
Inspiration: One client group hosted a wonderful event with guest speaker Sophia Fairweather. This 11 year old inventor and entrepreneur had more than two dozen established business people eating up what she had to say, and wishing that some of her enthusiasm would rub off on them. See for yourself at startupbysophia.com. It gives me great hope for the future.
Friends: It was a wonderful month for seeing friends, even outside of the Grey Cup Festival! I saw some for coffee, others in hospital, others house-bound, and others just passing through. It was such a blessing to be reminded about how many good people are in my life.
Remembering: I again emceed the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Edmonton International Airport. We had time before the 11th hour struck to tell stories about Canada's war history and to remember those who fought and died. I also was privileged to do a celebration of life for a family and to hear and tell their stories at a time when they most need them. That family sure hugged me a bunch afterwards, so I think I'm doing something right. Sadly, we also said goodbye to Montford, the naughtiest and funniest of our two Siamese cats. He was smart, ridiculous, and strong-willed and we and his sister Grace will miss him immensely.
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| Grace (L) and Montford (R) |
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So now it's December, the time when I officially lose my mind for a bit. Don't worry, I'm in good company. I created my own beer advent calendar with help from Shawn the beer guy at
Kensington Wine Market and two other friends. I created a cool box (yet to be decorated and perfected) and now I await my daily surprises. My neighbours are also interested so I can see each beer being split 4-6 ways. I won't get much more than a taste a day, but a taste is all I really want. There are several varieties already made up, but I know I can do better. Next year I intend to take orders to create them for others to enjoy, too.
I'm also doing the
Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar. I've enjoyed doing this for several years, and it's easy for everyone. I'm heading to Ontario for the holiday to spend time with that branch of the family and am really looking forward to it. I hope your holiday season is as fun and blessed as mine is going to be. We'll see you in 2020!
/lmwe
"Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone." -- Charles M. Schultz
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Question: Can we please read something new on old topics?
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ANSWER: Of course. There is no shortage.
Here are some recent articles on things we've talked about before.
Conflict of Interest
Conflict of Interest: Recusal Is Not Enough This is an excellent article from Non Profit Quarterly. It comes complete with cautions about grey areas in conflict of interest and a couple of case studies. It's American, but the info is still relevant.
Governance Models
I-Car Finalizes Updated Governance Model Okay so this might not be interesting, but here's why I'm sharing it. This organization didn't update its governance "model", it updated its governance "structure" and board composition (the other changes are not even about governance, but rather operations and member services). I take exception to someone making modest changes and calling it a "new governance model." A model is something we can all use...this is not that. However, they use a term that I DO LIKE -- "governance architecture." I can see that one getting popular.
Who We Are and Who We Aren't
It's Time to Say "Not" to Not-For-Profit The Globe & Mail is resurrecting this conversation and perhaps it's time. I've been around long enough to remember when we were the Nonprofit sector. Then we decided that nonprofit meant we couldn't be profitable, so we chose not-for-profit to distinguish that making a profit is fine but it isn't our main purpose. Now there's a shift away from "not" because, well, who wants to be known for what they aren't? They are recommending "Social Profit." Certainly that fits for charities and human service organizations, and likely even arts and culture groups. But does it fit for professional associations and regulators, for example? I have to dig a little deeper before I'm sold.
I've included a couple of other articles (Changes to the Canada Corporations Act and How to Be a Good Board Member in the Links section).
What have you read lately? I'd love to know!
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CLICK A DAY TO SEE THE OCCASION, DECEMBER
2019
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Still worn out from all the drama around Don Cherry and others, this blog helped centre me. It's from happier.com
"Hi, there. Last week I made a seriously big goof: I sent an email to more than 1,000 people and completely messed up the links I included (...twice in one email). What's worse, this was an email to 1,000 employees of one of our closest and most important Happier @ Work partners. Ugh.
In the past, I would have gone nuts berating myself. I would have treated this mistake as a sin I was to be punished for. And my harshness towards myself would have absolutely spilled to everyone around me, including my family and my colleagues.
But instead, I realized this was a great opportunity for me to practice what I teach: self-compassion.
I told myself that this happens to everyone -- we all goof with the wrong link or a misspelled word in email from time to time. I reminded myself that the people on the receiving end of my email are good humans who would understand that I made a mistake.
And I made a note to triple check all the links I include in the future.
Reacting to mistakes with self-compassion doesn't mean that we let ourselves off the hook and never improve. It means we acknowledge that we're human beings who make mistakes and we treat ourselves with the goal of reducing unnecessary suffering. Self-compassion helps us to avoid wasting our emotional energy on beating ourselves up and allows us to instead use it to improve.
I'd love for you to find a chance to practice self-compassion today.
Warmly, Nataly"
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Shout Out
to s
ome people who made my life better in November:
MaryJane Alanko, WP Allen, Jennifer Bertrand, Lori Bursey, Shelley Carmichael Silins, Brian Edwards, Leo Ezerins, Mandy Foster & Dave Sutherland, Angela Hanson, Helena Hill, Marilyn Hooper, Janna Jorgensen, Kline family, Lynn MacAskill, Karen MacKenzie, Brett MacNeil, Dorothy Marshall, Kelly McClung, Jenny/Adesh/Aliya Narine, Andy Northrup, Ernie Paustian, Paul Rechner, Kathy & John Roy, Sandy Shields, Ethel Thorne, Theresa Tsoukalas, Gerry West, Jill Wood
"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh
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Wish I'd Said That
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and everything." -
Plato
"Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -
Anatole France
"Haven't you always wanted a monkey?" - Barenaked Ladies
"Migration is a powerful driver of economic growth, dynamism, and understanding. It allows millions of people to seek new opportunities, benefiting communities of origin and destination alike."
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming
gardeners who make our souls blossom." -
Marcel Proust
"Mmmm...bacon..." - Homer Simpson
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* with fond acknowledge to Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
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