Just Plain Bill

Assignment:

“Write about the high points in your life.”

Some of my most rewarding experiences as a community college teacher of business writing skills are when my students share their feelings, their hopes, their dreams, as well as their regrets in a free-writing exercise. They are asked to answer the following in 50 words or less: “Write about the high points in your life.” Responses are to be written by hand, as the students are required to do weekly throughout the semester.

First off, all students write many more words than required. In many cases, the quality of the mechanics – grammar, spelling, syntax, etc. – is outstanding – in spite of not having the advantage of spell-check. (I teach them to focus on words they know how to spell or to learn how to spell the words they like to use.)

I continue to be amazed by the depth of emotion and deep insight many reveal, expressing heart-felt experiences all want to share. Each semester, my students range in age from 16 to 80, so their responses range from school experiences to major life events that each deems a very personal “high point.”

Allow me the privilege to share excerpts from a few examples:

·      “…My parents gave up a much better life they had in Italy so that my brother and I would benefit from all the opportunities America has to offer…They personally proved to me that anything is possible and they are the reason why I am the young adult I am today. “

·      “I have always tried to take the path less traveled…One of the greatest things I have ever done is completed the AIDS bike ride, from San Francisco to Los Angeles over seven days, raising $1,400 to help others.”

·      “…I didn’t have it easy growing up, as I was sent away to get control of my anger…It may sound strange that I see this as a ‘high point’, as I came back better able to appreciate whatever happened to me.”

·      “…Traveling has been the most positive contributor to who I am and where I’m going. I’ve been blessed to visit seven countries, contributing to my world views, helping me to understand all types of people…”

·      “…Being a soccer official has helped form my view of life, learning about political pressure to win at all cost…working with all nationalities of players from dozens of countries allowed me to teach by example and expand my understanding of how important culture is in forming your ‘high point’ in life.”

·      “…Being pushed out of my comfort zone has expanded my view of who I am… Having to continually learn new things has taught me so much about myself and what I can contribute to the lives of others…”

·      “…Life is filled with peaks and valleys and I’ve been fortunate to focus on the peaks – which would not have occurred if I had not addressed and overcome the valleys…I’m excited about the peaks that are yet to come my way…”

·      “…To not take the everyday, mundane things that come my way for granted…keeps the ‘high points’ coming my way…”

·      “…I’m blessed with high points daily as I raise my three wonderful children, helping them benefit from the love I received growing up…”

My “high points”? The growth in skill and confidence my students demonstrate in the span of one semester of school, year after year!

Just Plain Bill

“I didn’t get your email.” “But I sent it.”

Sound familiar? Our present state of electronic communication has given rise to increased uses (abuses?) in less than efficient means of correspondence. When we compose and send an efax or email, we tend to think that we’ve fully “communicated” with someone when in fact, the recipient may not have received our email. This could be due to a variety of factors: it goes into their spam folder, there’s a problem with a server, there’s a mistake in the email address or phone number, the intended recipient could have previewed and ignored it, or…gasp…previewed and simply deleted it.

Email has been a near miraculous advancement in our communication process over the traditional writing and sending of a letter, or writing and physically distributing copies of a memo. At the same time, it has a glaring flaw. Far too many people feel that once they’ve composed and sent an email, they have fulfilled their role in delivering a message – regardless whether it’s been received.

What brought this to mind was a situation today where I had asked for some records to be faxed from one organization to another. I asked the recipient of the records to confirm receipt of the information I had asked to be faxed.

The recipient indicated they had not received the records I had requested from the first party. So, did the first party not fulfill my request for the records to be sent? Did they send them to the wrong fax number? Or, had they simply forgotten to send them?

Regardless, the records were not received. I was forced to backtrack and contact the first party to request once again that the documents be sent.

When I followed up with the receiving party this time, I was assured the records had been received and they could then move forward with the next action step I needed taken.

In short, we’ve become conditioned to believe that our email and faxes most certainly are being received, simply because we know we hit the send key. These foregone, yet incorrect conclusions can often lead to a variety of problems including wasted time, terse exchanges of comments, and less-than effective customer service experiences.

Just Plain Bill

“Grandpa, why do you have a comb

in your back pocket?

 You don’t have any hair.”

As has been said, “Out of the mouths of babes, oft times come gems”, that thought came to mind as my youngest grandson asked his perfectly logical question, “Grandpa, why do you have a comb in your back pocket? You don’t have any hair.” To which I didn’t have an appropriate response.

As I age, I continue to notice there are several idiosyncrasies that I possess, about which there may not be rational explanations. My mom always reminded me to have a handkerchief in my pocket at all times (which I do). Is it for a possible sneeze? To offer to a damsel in distress? To wipe away someone’stear? Perhaps to help remove a cinder from someone’s eye?

To my grandson, I finally responded with the comment, “That’s just Goofy Grandpa”, which is a term of endearment my seven grandchildren lovingly use when referring to something grandpa says or does. Works for me!

Back to the idiosyncrasy of my comb: The origin and likely rational reason for carrying a comb dates back to when I was studying self-defense while in the Marine Corps in Japan. My judo instructor, Mr. Nakano, a 10^th degree black belt in judo and jujitsu, taught us that whenever possible, have in your possession an object to use as a weapon. Hence, I’ve always carried a comb to provide that edge, regardless of era - whether I had any hair on the top of my head or not!

If those letters sound vaguely familiar, it may be that at one time you read from an eye chart to determine the quality of your vision. Those letters, LEFODPCT, are found on the 20/20 vision assessment line on the eye chart, which has been used for over a hundred years.

The topic for this week’s blog entry was originally intended to focus on those things we remember from times past, quite often nonsensical words or phrases that for some reason have stuck in our memory. But, as serendipity or coincidence would have it, I just received an email that a long-time supporter of the Boys Club I’ve been a part of for over 66 years has passed away. Doctor Edwin Wright passed just shy of his 92^nd birthday.

Dr. Wright administered well over 10,000 free medical examinations and health screenings for Oakland Boys Club members over a 30-year period starting in the 1950s. It was during the 50s that I was a teen staff member who administered the eye test for hundreds of club members. Because of sheer volume alone in the number of Dr. Wright’s exams, I memorized those letters that indicated that a member’s vision was OK. It’s now 66 years later and I can still recall them easily.

But this story is more than just LEFODPCT. It’s even more than all those eye exams. You see, Dr. Wright was instrumental in identifying members’ medical problems during those exams, issues which most likely would have gone undetected since he provided the only contact with a physician that the majority of club members had.

So, in addition to a desire to share my nonsensical ability to read the 20/20 vision assessment even with my eyes closed, I want to recognize an unsung hero at the time of his passing. His benevolence impacted the lives of thousands, including my own, both in youth and continuing to this day. 

Here’s to Dr. Wright, a true champion of champions!

Thank you sir.