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10

Dec

Life Lessons Tied Up In a Bow

by Janine Boylan on December 10, 2012

sneakers, showing life lessons on how to tie your shoes

© Janine Boylan

What I Learned from Tying My Shoes

I absolutely would not watch.

I was only about four years old, but I remember it like it was yesterday. For months, my mom had been trying to teach me a basic life lesson: how to tie my shoes. I, however, absolutely DID NOT want to learn from her.

Whenever she tied my shoes, Mom would tell me to watch. Instead, I would twist my head as far around as possible and cover my ears while still strategically keeping my shoes where my mom could tie them. I was completely and utterly annoyed that she wanted to teach me to tie my shoes.

One day, tired of her persistent requests, I thought of a way to end it for once and all. I tied my own shoes. Then I announced that she could stop trying to teach me.

Fast forward many years to my own four-year-old daughter. Not wanting to force feed shoe-tying, I would encourage my daughter to try to tie her shoes, but I never told her to watch me. She seemed to be making no progress with this life lesson, but I was patient.

One day my mom and my daughter were laughing and chatting in the back seat of the car as I drove along. About five minutes into the ride, my daughter joyfully exclaimed, “Look, Grandma taught me to tie my shoes.”

That’s not how I remember learning.

But, fine, at least my daughter knew how to tie her shoes now.

Fast forward again to the present. My daughter and I were watching Ted Talks and came across a video by Terry Moore on the correct way to tie shoes.

If the video does not display, watch it here.

As the video ended, my daughter said, matter-of-factly, “That’s how Grandma taught me to tie shoes.”

Oh, I see. I guess I should have let my mom teach me after all.

 

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

 

Life Lessons

05

Nov

Life’s Choices in Disasters Like Sandy

by Janine Boylan on November 5, 2012

Clean-up after LA riots showing a life's choice to help

Cleaning Up After the LA Riots
© Janine Boylan

Coming Together to Help

As I see photos of the mess that Sandy left behind, my thoughts go out to all of those who have suffered and lost and to those who have made one of life’s important choices: to help.

From Fear to Action in the LA Riots

During disasters, life choices stare you in the face. I had that Oh, I see moment in 1992 when another kind of disaster struck my hometown, Los Angeles.

Videos of Rodney King being beaten by police sparked riots during which neighbors rose up against neighbors simply because they had different ethnic backgrounds. People made destructive choices: they smashed windows, set fires, and ransacked local small stores.

As the news reporters covered this event in progress, I chose to huddle fearfully in my apartment behind locked doors.

The next morning, I heard that people were gathering in the middle of the city to clean up what had happened the night before. Something had changed. I needed to be there and help, and that’s when I made a bolder, different choice.

I pulled my truck into the gathering area and saw scores of people of all races and ages already there. I didn’t know a single other person, but within a few minutes, my truck bed was filled with people carrying shovels, brooms, garbage bags, and gloves. We drove slowly around the city and searched for places to clean up.

But this city, which only a few hours before had been blaring with fire-truck sirens and filled with shouts and crashing glass, was already quiet and clean. Early in the morning, hundreds of people had come out to clear away the rubble. There were so many of us, in fact, that my group struggled to find anything to clean up. We ended up pulling weeds from a vacant lot in an effort to do something to beautify the city again.

And then, as quickly as we had come together, we went our separate ways, leaving behind a cleaner, more caring community.

It certainly wasn’t the last time disaster struck the city, and the local shopkeepers still had to overcome the devastating loss that the previous night had brought them. But it showed me how, when a community needs help, especially in the darkest times, other people make the tough choice to lend a hand.

For me, participating in this brief LA clean-up was one of life’s choices that I will never forget because I learned, in this OIC moment, that making the choice to help others in my community was the best way to get through tough times: together.

Pitching In After Hurricane Sandy

I know the clean-up from Sandy will take much longer than a few hours. And while some people are taking advantage of the chaos to commit crimes like looting or soliciting money for fraudulent “charities,” there are already many stories of people making choices to stand up, clean up, and lend a hand.

  • In Hoboken, New Jersey, people who still had power offered fresh coffee and extension cords to their neighbors who needed to recharge themselves and their cell phones.
  • In several storm-ravaged cities, including New York City,  restaurant owners set out tables of food for anyone in need.
  • The New York Times reports that the volunteer organization New York Cares has about 800 people helping in affected areas right now, and there are 6,000 more who have volunteered and are waiting for assignments.

And then this weekend, according to the Associated Press, hundreds of runners made a life choice: instead of being disappointed and leaving when the New York City Marathon was cancelled, they decided to stay in the city and help.

In Queens, one group ran up and down stairs in buildings that still are without power. These runners delivered water, blankets, and food to people who could not get out on their own.

Another group put on backpacks brimming with supplies and ran through devastated Staten Island neighborhoods where they delivered batteries, clothing, food, and more to the people there who have lost so much. 

As New York resident Esther Pan Sloane donated supplies to a relief center, she told The New York Times, “It feels like we all had the same impulse: This is my city and I want to do something to help it.”

There’s so much more to do, but it’s heartening to see so many who have decided to help. It’s one of life’s most important choices.

If you wish to help the victims of Sandy, learn more here.

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

 

Making a Difference

11

Oct

Life Lesson: Slowing Down at the Airport

by Janine Boylan October 11, 2012

If video does not display, watch it here.

Connecting with People Instead of a Flight

Like the planes in this video, I had been zooming in and out of airports all day long—from early in the morning until dark. In fact, I was at my fourth airport of the day. And I still wasn’t home.

The night before, my flight in Dallas had been cancelled. After just three hours of sleep, I negotiated a flight to Houston, and then rushed onto another plane to Nashville, where I stopped long enough to give a ten-minute presentation.

Then I caught a plane to Chicago, which was supposed to be the last stop before home.

Rushing to Be First in Line

I had taken possession of a seat near the boarding gate. I noticed that everyone on this flight seemed to have a carry-on bag. That meant lots of competition for overhead storage space.

But if I strategically jumped up to be first in line, I knew I could at least get my luggage in the bins. I double checked that my boarding pass was ready and that my bag was facing the right way for me to grab and go.

Once I knew everything was ready, I sat back in my seat and looked onto the pitch black runway. Knife cuts of lightning flashed in the sky. Rain drops snaked down the glass.

The Dreaded Delays Set In

The screen over the desk promised the scheduled departure time.  Then the time began to inch 10 minutes later, 20 minutes later . . .

People were filling the empty seats that other passengers had politely left between groups of travelers. Before long there wasn’t a column left to lean against, and teens in cut off jeans were starting to occupy the floor. The air was thick with frustration.

The speaker crackled, and a simultaneous groan came out of every seasoned business traveller who knew what was coming:

“The FAA has closed the airport until further notice due to the storm.”

“The plane that was scheduled to land here is now landing in Minneapolis.”

“The plane that was right behind it is on its way to Detroit.”

“We’re looking for another plane and will keep you informed as we receive news.”

I took the opportunity to download another book. I settled into my seat, raising my imaginary walls, retreating into my private world, refusing to even look at other passengers who might take valuable overhead storage space.

But the woman next to me leaned over and explained that she had been traveling from Europe. She was tired and wanted a bottle of water. Would I mind saving her seat while she went and bought one?

A Change in Strategy

As I raised my head to acknowledge her, I had an Oh, I see moment. Something was happening around me. The delay of the plane had broken down the barriers between strangers, and people were coming together.

A retired couple was making funny faces at a baby to keep her laughing.

A bearded, T-shirt-clad man was gesturing wildly to illustrate a story he was sharing with a smiling business man.

Parents with a stroller filled with suitcases sat back as their two toddlers charmed a group of teenage girls.

This inspired me to slide my suitcase over and save my new friend’s seat. When she returned, in between calls and texts to family members, we shared experiences and found we both loved learning languages.

She was moving to a place near my home, so I provided some tips for apartment hunting. I found her stories much more interesting than the book I had downloaded.

Several crackly announcements later, the voice promised that our plane had arrived, and we would be boarding. I rechecked my boarding pass, repositioned my bag, and prepared to get in the line.

But this time I wasn’t worried about being first. Did it really matter if I had to check my bag?

A tiny life challenge had become a life lesson. I was about to board with a big group of friends.

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

 

Art of Travel/Life Lessons

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