Jul

American Freedoms at Your Dinner Table

by Sheron Long on July 4, 2013

Fourth of July dinner table, a good place to discuss American freedoms and gain perspective

Eat a little, talk a little this Fourth of July
© Thinkstock/iStockphoto

Gain Perspective, Not Weight, on the Fourth of July

Today, the Fourth of July, OIC Moments sends insights to share when your dinner table conversation turns to American freedoms.

There’s sure to be dissent—One guest speaks; not everyone agrees. Could it be, as Lady Bird Johnson said, “The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom”?

Hoping you will gain perspective from the raucous sounds of freedom around your table, we offer three questions and some conversation starters. Try them out and see where the conversation goes.

1. What Does Freedom Feel Like?

Conversation starters:

The truth is I love being alive. And I love feeling free. So, if I can’t have those things, then I feel like a caged animal and I’d rather not be in a cage. I’d rather be dead. And it’s real simple. And I think it’s not that uncommon.

—Angelina Jolie (1975– ), actress and humanitarian

Woman dancing freely, illustrating the joy of American freedoms

Ah, the feeling of freedom!
© Thinkstock/iStockphoto

Freedom is control in your own life.

—Willie Nelson (1933– ), country music singer-songwriter

Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting.

—Alan Dean Foster (1946– ), writer best known for works in science fiction and fantasy

You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness.

—Robert Frost (1874–1963), poet

Harness? That sounds like freedom might come with limitations and that leads us right to the next question.

2. Where Are the Limits of Freedom?

Conversation starters:

Many people don’t understand how disciplined you have to be to play jazz . . . . And that is really the idea of democracy—freedom within the Constitution or discipline. You don’t just get out there and do anything you want.

—Dave Brubeck (1920–2012), jazz pianist and composer

I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom.

— Michael Bloomberg (1942– ), businessman, philanthropist, and mayor of NYC for three terms beginning in 2002

One of the things that bothers me most is the growing belief in the country that security is more important than freedom. It ain’t.

—Lyn Nofziger (1924–2006), journalist and White House adviser to President Ronald Reagan

The magic of America is that we’re a free and open society with a mixed population. Part of our security is our freedom.

—Madeleine Albright (1937– ), diplomat and Secretary of State in the Clinton Administration

Different Americans pledge allegiance to the US flag in honor of the American freedoms celebrated on the Fourth of July

Many different people call America “Home.”
© Thinkstock/iStockphoto

3. What Does Freedom Cost? How Do We Pay it Forward?

John Quincy Adams, US President from 1825–1829 and son of the second President of the US John Adams, had this message for the generations that followed him: “Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”

The American generations that followed discovered that they, too, had to preserve freedom with continuing vigilance through wars abroad and social change at home.

Patriotic sign, helping people gain perspective on what it takes to preserve American freedoms

Each generation is called upon to boldly preserve American freedoms for the next generation.
© Thinkstock/iStockphoto

Consider the perspectives of these American voices as you think now about what you and your generation can do to keep freedom alive.

Conversation starters:

Freedom is a muscle . . . you have to exercise it.

—Roy Scheider (1932–2008), actor, choreographer, and film director

Freedom is not an ideal, it is not even a protection, if it means nothing more than freedom to stagnate, to live without dreams, to have no greater aim than a second car and another television set.

—Adlai E. Stevenson (1900–1965), politician, governor of Illinois, and Ambassador to the United Nations

Freedom isn’t free. It shouldn’t be a bragging point that ‘Oh, I don’t get involved in politics,’ as if that makes someone cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have a much harder time of it if so many people didn’t insist on their right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable.

—Bill Maher (1956– ), comedian, TV host, and political commentator

So keep fightin’ for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t you forget to have fun doin’ it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce.

—Molly Ivins (1944–2007), journalist, humorist, and political commentator

Your “Oh, I See” Moment?

Listen to the voices of freedom ringing around your dinner table. Did any one of them make you say, “Oh, I see” today? Leave a comment and let us know your insight.

Handprint with US flag motif, illustrating how each American leaves a mark on the American freedoms celebrated on the Fourth of July

What imprint will you leave on America’s freedoms?
© Thinkstock/iStockphoto

All quotes from Brainy Quote.

For a perspective on American freedoms through an immigrant’s eyes, see this interview with William Holston of the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas.

Sheron Long 2 Comments

Quotes of Note/USA

Jun

Be Happy, Be Productive: Take a Dog to Work

by Sheron Long on June 20, 2013

Poodle fetching a file in a happy and productive office on Take Your Dog to Work Day

Overheard in a happy and productive office on Take Your Dog to Work Day:
“Fetch the Poodle file, will you, Sport?”
© Big Cheese Photo

Pooch Power in the Workplace

This Friday, offices around the globe will be the very vision of a happy and productive workplace. That’s because June 21, 2013, is Pet Sitters International’s Take Your Dog To Work Day^®.

Dog and worker at a desk in a happy and productive office, illustrating a possible scene on Take Your Dog to Work Day

A day at work is less stressful with a dog.
© Photodisc/RyanMcVay

Begun in 1999, Take Your Dog to Work Day is designed to showcase dogs as the great companions they are and to encourage adoptions.

The idea is that co-workers, who see the warm bond between canines and humans, will be inspired to adopt a best dog friend of their own.

The special day also offers employers the opportunity to support their local pet community.

Oh, I see the fun of this right away!

Any business can use more paws on deck, and we’ll be adding some highly specialized skills at least for a day.

I can just picture my office now, humming with pooch power, when all these breeds pad in.

Dog breeds, illustrating the variety of talents that dogs can being to a a happy and productive office on Take Your Do to Work Day

Any kind of dog can offer a helping paw on Take Your Dog to Work Day.
© iStockphoto

I boned up on their behaviors and talents and figured out some good assignments for the day.

Border Collies to the Conference Room!

Border Collies are the sports cars of the canine kingdom, built for speed and able to “hairpin turn” on a dime.

Border Collie herding sheep, a talent needed for meeting management in a happy and productive office

Nothing beats a Border Collie for meeting management!
©iStockphoto

Clocked at over 30 miles per hour, they also know how to keep both eyes on the ball. They are set to move across departments in dogged pursuit of the management team, nipping especially at the heels of the sales manager, who is perpetually late.

For once, our Friday morning meeting will start on time.

Border collies also have a hearty bark, good for meeting management when someone goes on too long. And, with just a hand signal from me, they’ll hop up and herd the managers out just as fast as they herded them in.

Ah, a meeting may end on time, too!

Puppies to R & D

The creative job of any Research and Development group requires play, with time to explore and dream, and it takes perseverance like you see, well, in a dog with a bone. It’s the perfect place for the special talents of puppies.

Four active puppies showing traits of workers in a happy and productive office

Active puppies fuel creativity in the R & D department.
© (top row) iStockphoto; (bottom row L to R) Fuse, Zoonar

Why puppies?

—Maybe it’s their freshness, the newness that comes when you haven’t yet learned the word “no.”

—Maybe it’s that they’re into everything, always “digging a little deeper.”

—Maybe it’s that they unleash the “aw factor,” in the creative staff, a group whose productivity rises when they feel good.

No matter, puppies and creative types are a good match.

Comfort Dogs to HR

The welcoming face of the Golden Retriever—how can anyone resist it?

Goldens (and other breeds), with red jackets saying simply “Pet Me!”, wander through airports in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Miami to lower passengers’ stress levels. Seems like that could work in our Human Resources department, too.

Golden Retriever in an easy chair at a happy and productive office, illustrating a possible scene on Take Your Dog to Work Day

The doctor is in!
© Fuse

When the stress of deadlines or disagreements with colleagues gets too great, it’s time to visit the company’s Golden Retriever. Never judgmental and always eager to please, the Golden gets it right—he listens, acknowledges, and lets you pet him until blood pressure and stress level go down.

Sniffer-in-Chief to IT

Dogs are all super sniffers, able to make surprising detections—diseased beehives, bed bugs, drugs, explosives, composition of whale poop, pirated DVDs, different kinds of cancers, and when a cow is in heat.

Beagle at a computer in a happy and productive office, illustrating a possible scene on Take Your Dog to Work Day

The Beagle gets off task during
Take Your Dog to Work Day.
© iStockphoto

The Beagle, with 225 million scent receptors, is the Sniffer-in-Chief. Compare that to the human who has 5 million, and you get a sense of this dog’s talented nose.

The Beagle will be on special assignment to the IT Department this Friday to sniff out computer viruses.

I know he’ll be successful if he doesn’t get distracted, surfing the Web for other passions.

The Beagle will work an 8-hour day with a lunch break in the company kitchen, where he can sniff out the fridge for old lunches to trash.

Very smelly ground, that fridge.

Boston Terriers to Customer Service

Big ears, no bark—that’s what you need if you work in customer service.

Boston Terrier with large ear, illustrating the ability to listen well in a happy and productive office

The Boston Terrier’s big, upright ear is the best receptor for listening.
© iStockphoto

All dogs hear in dog decibels that detect a much greater range of sounds than humans can. Breeds with large ears that stand up have the best receptors for listening well when customers call.

Though breeds like Chihuahuas have the ears for the job, they may not have the temperament—too much barking and even biting.

But the Boston Terrier fills the bill:

—big ears

—polite

—sensitive to moods

There may need to be some professional development on the snorting, snuffling, wheezing, and snoring front, however.

Irresistible Dogs to Sales and Marketing

If I know Sales and Marketing, they will press into service the cutest, most adorable dogs who grace our office.

Puppies advertising a sale, illustrating how the Marketing department can put dogs to productive work on Take Your Dog to Work Day

Ads with an irresistible dog make products irresistible, too. And, hey, how about this adorable poodle—maybe he can create a music video with a howling testimonial!

If video does not display, watch it here.

Should Every Day Be “Take Your Dog to Work Day”?

Despite the fun of matching dog talents to tasks, the real value of dogs in the workplace is that employees feel better and engage more with other colleagues.

A study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and headed by Randolph Barker (no kidding about the name) compared stress levels in employees who did and did not take their dogs to work.

Stress levels went up during the workday in employees without dogs and stayed the same for employees with dogs. Employees with dogs also reported greater productivity.

Oh, I see (with apologies to Jonathan Swift):

Every day must have its dog.

And it will be a happy and productive day indeed!

If you want to work for a company that allows dogs in the workplace every day, check out DogFriendly.com’s database. See these tips for ensuring a successful experience for you and your co-workers.

Pet Sitters International (PSI) also knows it’s ok and often necessary to leave your pets at home whether working or vacationing. It provides guidelines on choosing a pet sitter and offers a database for locating certified pet sitters.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Sheron Long 1 Comment

Clever Ideas

May

A Vagabond Travel Day With Sheep in Provence

by Sheron Long on May 30, 2013

Blocks spelling "Wing It," showing the value of vagabond travel

Off the Beaten Path, Life Is Full of Surprises

It never fails. The day I decide to wing it and wander away from the travel itinerary is the day that etches the best memories in my mind.

Maybe it’s because I’m here in France where being a flâneur (stroller, wanderer, vagabond in a good sense) is valued, much like an art form. Maybe it’s because the unexpected surprises of life put a bigger smile on my face.

No matter, in many an “Oh, I see” moment, I’ve learned that making space for vagabond travel days is essential to a well-planned itinerary.

Wall-to-Wall Sheep

Yesterday was no exception. I wandered into our village and noticed a crowd gathering on the street. Something told me to forget about the quest for croissants and take up a position.

It was the Transhumance, the day that shepherds take their flocks from the lowlands to the highlands where food is more plentiful this time of year. Can you imagine the sight—3,000 sheep in the street?

Sheep moving through Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and showing bystanders that life is full of surprises

Before you saw the massive amount of wool, you heard the sheep coming. They baa-ed and bleated their way through town.

Noisy sheep with loud bells!

The troop progressed, some showing off horns and pom-poms. I gawked at the wool that went wall-to-wall, and I loved the surprise of it all!

Aside from the annual procession in Saint-Rémy, other parades of animals—sheep, cattle, and horses—are part of the celebration of Marseille-Provence as the 2013 European Capital of Culture. Transhumance events continue through the region until June 9, 2013, when they culminate in a large parade through Marseille.

Off the Beaten Path

In such public parades, however, I realized that the sheep were coming to me, somewhat out of place on a street. Surely, there was a way I could go to them for an even more authentic experience.

I could feel wanderlust taking over, and the plan for the next couple of days was shot.

Armed with wheels, feet, and a wing-it attitude, I began to explore the back roads of Provence in the rain, looking for wide open spaces that could house the troops of sheep as they made their way through the region.

I ran across shepherds participating in sheepdog trials, helicopters flying overhead to document troop movement from the air, bivouacs of horseback riders, and pens of big and baby bulls.

But it was on unknown land where the road ended past the Étang des Aulnes in Saint-Martin-de-Crau that I found what I was looking for—a troop of sheep munching away at the end of their day and delivering quiet baas to punctuate the rhythm of the rain.

Sheep grazing in Provence, seen on a vagabond travel day and showing that life is full of surprises

I stood in the rain and took it all in, feeling now like I had the fuller picture. Then the shepherd, dressed in a robe of old, raised his left hand, a sign to his faithful border collies to take the sheep home. They were gone in an instant, it seemed, and it was one I’m glad I didn’t miss.

Provence shepherd, seen on a vagabond travel day and showing that life is full of surprises

For more on how travel makes us happy, see this CNN travel article by Winnie So.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Sheron Long 1 Comment

Art of Travel/France

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Author Archives: Sheron Long

American Freedoms at Your Dinner Table

Gain Perspective, Not Weight, on the Fourth of July

1. What Does Freedom Feel Like?

2. Where Are the Limits of Freedom?

3. What Does Freedom Cost? How Do We Pay it Forward?

Your “Oh, I See” Moment?

Be Happy, Be Productive: Take a Dog to Work

Pooch Power in the Workplace

Border Collies to the Conference Room!

Puppies to R & D

Comfort Dogs to HR

Sniffer-in-Chief to IT

Boston Terriers to Customer Service

Irresistible Dogs to Sales and Marketing

Should Every Day Be “Take Your Dog to Work Day”?

A Vagabond Travel Day With Sheep in Provence

Off the Beaten Path, Life Is Full of Surprises

Wall-to-Wall Sheep

Off the Beaten Path