Dismount the Noise...and Listen

Ever forget how much you appreciate where you live or what you have? I do. More than I'd care to admit really. I get so caught up in the day-to-day noise, I never listen or fully appreciate anyone or anything around me. Today, I listened...

I hiked Tablerock - with blue sunshine, slight wind, arms out, fingers open, eyes closed (peaking so as not to trip though) :), listening and loudly singing off key to a forgotten song "Higher" by Creed, unaware of likely staring strangers, smiling....(amazing).

Next , my newly found listening took me to the Idaho Botanical Garden. I was walking along and an elderly woman waved me over for a conversation near the swing. What a gift! :) A stranger turned friend in seconds. Her name is Jean. She told me all about he beginnings of the Idaho Botanical Garden and the role she played in getting it started on a Garden Club budget of $14.39 more than 40 years ago. There were a "few" more helpers...but I like that part of the story best :) It was a great conversation. Thanks Jean! :)

Relished the listening dismount. Need to do it more often!

Tats Dismount

Ever thought about getting a tat? My son asked me yesterday if I had a tatoo. Interesting dismount. I said "no" for two reasons. One, I can't think of any one image I would want to have inked into my skin and two, to much consideration would need to be given to the longevity of the image. Today's happy smiley face, could be tomorrow's droopy frowny face (at age 90). Blettcchht :) He laughed :)

One tat did catch my eye a few weeks ago while watching he NCAA tourney on TV. I'm not sure which player or which team, but when he put his arms up waiting for the free throw rebound, I'm quite certain tatoo'd near his armpit was "Family First." ummmm...Still wondering why "Family First" right next to his armpit. I've thought...well perhaps when he puts his arm down the tatoo is right next to his heart. But then why wouldn't he just tatoo "Family First" over his heart? Armpit land placement would seem to cater to the "Family Last" crowd? Don't know, maybe it's the latest pop culture thing?

Wonder what "Family First" would look like at age 90? :)

Cave Dweller to Astronaut in a week Dismount

Rapid awakening of knowledge. Cool stuff. I've recently been interacting more with social media and experiencing a cave dweller to astronaut time warp. "Chips" like Feedly, Friendfeed, bitly, hootsuite, tweet, tweeple, re-tweet (the holy grail), twitterhawk, tinyurl, tweezer, #followfriday, tweetdeck, and ping.fm...are becoming part of my every day lingo. Up until a month ago I was chizzling away on stone slabs by comparison. I'm well engrained in LinkedIN and Facebook. Great introductions to the cause, but only tips of the iceberg to what is really possible...

I would consider myself early majority. The "chips" I mention above are going to become as common place as the term "PC" in the very near term. This webs of web will continue to redefine scoop sources for journalism, define personal and professional relationships, how we support our customers, educate, market, sell, and become informed....trick is how to stay relevant through the considerable "fog." Still learning...

Thank you Angela, Tac, Jeff and Brian for the terrific education and energy around this new dismount. Incredible! :)

Top Ten List: Kickin' Grim to the Curb

Feeling grimly? Yeah me too...Here's my top ten chip list for kicking grim to the curb...

1) Invest more time in your kids. Be and do silly things more often...have no children? Become one. :)
2) Think of something you have always wanted to do and really make it happen. For me, U2 concert is topping the list.
3) Toss cynical off a cliff.
4) Adopt a kinder perspective for all.
5) Seek out opportunities to laugh - often.
6) Get outside more - rain, shine, cloudy, cold....who cares. Just go...now :)
7) Simplify
8) Listen to music....find new grassroots bands and really listen to the words.
9) Find three new things to appreciate where you live....be present.
10) Eat a Sunday morning breakfast at Goldy's :)

Simple Dismounts...feeling chipper? :)

Dismounting New in 2009

After reading the book "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman last Fall, I was compelled to do more than recycling to be "green." I learned of this group out of San Francisco called "The Compact Group" while reading Sunset Magazine. As I understand it this group was formed very informally over dinner one evening a few years back, on a pledge that they would not buy new for a year (excluding groceries, toiletries, etc). I didn't join the Compact Group, but rather just adopted their basic principles for the next year. It's been a revelation on a number of fronts. Mainly, the awareness of how much time I was spending doing "i'm bored shopping"...I now invest that same time into reading, working out, and investing more time in people I care about...it's been a good shift for me. January was fairly easy. I'm finding February to be more of a challenge...spotting that cute pair of shoes, coat or top...I must avoid even driving by Anthropology for fear of being sucked in against my weakened will. I'll stick with it though. I like pursuing things that teach me something new. Challenge my perspective...good stuff.

Dismounting with Goose Bump Clarity

Ever have one of those weeks that unexpectedly grabs you with goose bump clarity? That's been my week...Greg Mortenson talking about his book "Three Cups of Tea" on Tuesday at the Morrison Center and tonight a glass of wine with a dear friend. The thing that struck me as so similiar about each is how they describe their life experiences. They talk of their pursuit of passions without referring to it literally. They expose a simple lifestyle that elevates them to interactions with World Leaders. Not for gratification of ego, but with a simple sense of accomplishment. No task beneath or above them. Never once referring to the pursuit of riches, but rather the richness of life, family, culture, happiness, love, appreciation for what they have that really matters and want to keep sacred. Their calm and grounded sense of simple purpose is magnetic.

My epiphany or dismount this week as a result, I'm on the wrong path in many ways. Question is how to get to the right path? I'm going to give this serious thought. No, this time I mean it. For the first time in months, I'm actually tired and ready to sleep...to funny. :) Have any chips to share? Are you on the right path?

Dismounting from Quip to Snip in a Singles Bound

Ah...I'm back. :) My blog inspiration fell flat these past few months. Not sure if it was a lack of material or my new found intrigue with Facebook, but....I digress...tonight I was talking with a friend who has dated three men in the past few weeks. Each one has outted within the first date, they have had a recent vasectomy AND they have no interest in having more children. I thought it was an interesting evolution of express lane dialogue. Quickly dismounting from light get-to-know ya quips to heavy so-done snips. Not sure if it's a product of our relationship with the internet and the instant intimacy it fosters or if by our late 30's and into our 40's we just know what we want...and ask for it, or snip it, as the case may be, probably a little of both. And why are so many men opting for vasectomies these days? Tornado-like I must say. I can see the obvious benefits, but I know of four friends who stand firm on If a guy has been snipped and has a no more kid policy, it's a show stopper. No more dates. From either perspective, is it worth giving up what could have been THE ONE?

What "chips" do you have to share?

Creative Brain Food with a Side of "Chips"

There just are some people who have the gift to effortlessly inspire others. Know anyone like that? I'm fortunate enough to know more than a few and my friend David is one of them. He "served up" some terrific brain food the other day. One of David's "chips" is below. Check it out...

The Manifesto, "How to Be Creative", by Hugh MacLeod has been out for a few years, It's insightful and a pretty hilarious read. For those not familiar with Hugh, he is an advertising executive, popular blogger and cartoonist. Of particular note are the hand-drawn business cards that front each of the 26 mini-chapters. It's about a 30 minute or less read. There is some fluff to breeze through, but some solid and very funny content too.

David imparted his favorite quote to us from the Manifesto:
"The sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will."

"How to Be Creative" "http://www.changethis.com/6.HowToBeCreative

I have to admit, the other day I was pondering and along the lines of creativity. Can anyone actually have a truly original idea by the year 2008 or is every idea simply now a derivative (only) or a "building block" to the last link in the idea chain? Maybe I was bored. Maybe it doesn't matter, really. But made me wonder if a truly original idea could be proven to exist today...hmmmm

Share a "chip" and did you find a favorite quote in the Manifesto?

Crazy Car Talker Dismounts

Ever been caught talking to yourself by another driver? I was talking with my friend Dan about this the other day (Dan is a real person by the way) :). I can't even count the number of times I have had a full on conversation with an imaginary somebody, only to gasp at the sudden realization that the guy in the next car is scrunching his nose, lip curling and squinting his eyes at me. Mouthing "What the?" You know the look. I've gone so far as to elevate my cell phone giving the appearance of talking via speaker to "London." v.s. quickly turning my head for fear of recognition. With this cell phone screen, the scrunchies usually drive off satisfied that I am no longer a danger to society. It works successfully while singing at the tops of lungs as well. The only unexplainable from the "rock performance" is why would I be clapping, snapping and dancing at the wheel while on the phone with "London." Perhaps my clean getaway is not so clean afterall. hmmm...

Beyond the cell phone screen, any car talker dismount "chips" to share?

Describe a Woman or Pass the Chips?

How do you safely describe a woman's appearance? I really had no idea the discomfort this question brings to men until I was talking with a friend of mine the other day. He started talking about a woman he had met. I can't recall what sparked me to ask the question but I said, "what did she look like?" The response intrigued me. My friend said "ohhhhh no Janet. I've not described the appearance of a woman in years and I'm not about to start." My seemingly innocent question was loaded with explosives. He said there is no answer to describe a woman that could not be misconstrued. I challenged him. I asked "What if you just said she was average?" He challenged me "what kind of an answer is that really?" He's right. It's no answer. As I started thinking about it. No woman really wants to be called skinny, average, shapely, short, tall, etc all having implications to the negative. I think color of hair, eyes, etc would be safe territory, but who knows. And do land mines only exist where a man is describing one woman to another woman? I haven't noticed an issue with women describing men to another man or woman. We pretty much just lay it out there, regardless. "He's bald", He's heavy", "He's short", etc....no mister yuck stickers for us. Does a safe dismount exist for men or should they just continue to pass on the "chips"?