Growth Dynamics Get Down

I apologize right off the bat for jumping on the Star Wars date connection here. Those movies have been a true modern phenomenon, but I am not one of the ardent faithful of the series. Today it just seems an easy connection to take that play on words and tie it into this 7-week ritual. Again, sorry…

Yesterday the East Coast was battered by a huge wind and rain event. Starting about noon here outside of Philadelphia, the weather turned violent. Winds blew in excess of 50 miles an hour, throwing porch furniture and anything unsecured across the landscape. Soon after that started the rains came in buckets. It was the proverbial cats and dogs type of rain with sheets of water blasting my windows at my office and at home later. Inevitably when this happens, we lose power. The family was forced to call for take-out dinner and there was no TV to watch and the internet disappeared. You would have thought it was like 1990 or something!

I knew it was coming, but I did not know when it would actually arrive. Yes, I went back to the office today because working in my bedroom was not cutting it for one more day. My mind had been kicking the idea around for about a week, but I wanted to be a good citizen and remain “lock down” compliant. Finally, I just needed to grab my keys, start the truck and go to work back where it feels normal to go to work.

While spending some time on Facebook this week I saw a pretty fun post from King Arthur Flour. If you know anything about me, Sarah, I love carbs. Carbs of all kinds. Bread, cake, cookies, pizza, flatbread, pita... the list can go on and on. That's why I follow King Arthur Flour. I also thought I should copy the great idea they had. 

The Covid-19 shut down has led us into uncharted territory in quite a few areas, and perhaps the most noticeable is the Education Experiment we have thrown at our teachers and their students. Many of us have ringside seats to this process, and I do not know if it is going as anyone hoped. If you are one of the parents that is actively engaged in this homeschooling delivery you have my utmost respect for your patience and persistence.

Today was a special day for me and a special group of people. I was part of a BACK TO WORK meeting conducted over ZOOM that welcomed the entire sales force back at one of my clients. I called it a BACK TO SCHOOL event because they sell school supplies and their faces looked like they were a bunch of kids seeing their classmates for the first time after summer vacation. Big smiles and howdy dos appeared to be the order of the day for everyone involved. It was special to see a positive moment during some tough times for many of us.

OK, the days are all running together, and frankly I am struggling to get a real sense of momentum in much of anything lately. No, this is not a plea to open up businesses all over and let everyone out of their houses. We will get there, and I am on board with slower rather than faster on those decisions. I am just getting a case of cabin fever at this point. My attempt to remedy the situation was to get outside and tramp in the woods and weeds at Stroud Preserve, a local gem of a park.

Like you and most everyone else in this country, I want to be back to work. Not this work from home sort of working stuff, but the real work of full days on the calendar and the sense of not having enough time to get done what needs to be done. I miss the frantic moments of traveling from city to city by planes, trains, and automobiles. I trust it is coming back and business will rebound for all of us. At least that is my best desire for all.

You made it to Friday! Did you know it was Friday or are you down to three days of the week: yesterday, today and tomorrow like we are in the Waple house? Do weekends even matter anymore?

A few months ago, I made a very deliberate decision to avoid contributing any negative or political commentary on social media. There are plenty of folks there that express opinions like mine, so me not adding the conversation is not causing anyone to be short on agreement or disagreement to fuel their personal agendas. Plus, I just do not matter that much in the bigger scheme of things going on in the world. The current affairs have certainly given me plenty of opportunities to break my silence, but still I resist joining the fray. As a reward I have found myself being very open to the amazing creativity people have shared as ways of coping with the Coronavirus pandemic and its influence on our day to day living.