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How will we fill the weekend with nothing but joy and happiness? How will we take a break from the world that has gone mad?

How about a birthday party to welcome the newborn into this crazy and wild, wild world?

Today is the day of your existence. Appreciation for who you are as you are. Look around you!  You’ve got love. You’ve got family! You’ve got talents you don’t even know about! You’ve got guts to change the world for the better. But not right now. Now is the time to enjoy being little.

No need to grow up in a hurry. No need to figure out what you should be when you’re older.

Be who you are. Be the best baby now. Be the best toddler and little sibling. Enjoy your time as a child. Rejoice the simplicity of your new life.

Let us worry about the now and the future. Let us set the world for your success. Let us guarantee a safe future for you and your generation.

Happy birthday monkey.

Welcome to America. The land of the free. Land of opportunities.
Unless of course, you’re not welcome.
In that case, do an about face, and crawl back to where you’re from.

But if you are welcome, you’ll be very welcome. We’ll embrace you with open arms and let you taste sweetness of free press, entrepreneurial spirit, and drive for continuous improvement.

Go ahead. Take a bite out of the big apple. The lady in green will light the path across the Hudson River.

With no consideration for others, those in power are shuffling things up, down, sideways and all the way around. Decisions serving personal interests and short-term incentives. They want more money. They want more power. The earth rumbles and shakes in anger.

They are perched up high, shielded from the masses.

Except, this mentality is no different from littering or not picking up after one’s dog. No different from turning a blind eye, telling ourselves to “mind our business”

Because when we need someone to lean on or dislodge something stuck on our throat…  We will fall and choke. Those who we failed to protect will look on with glassy eyes. They have been infected with apathy of our own inactions.

The world may end up looking like “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. We become zombies as the world burns. The blue, green and everything in between turns black and grey.

Or, perhaps… we can change our course of action right now. Stand up for someone weaker than us. Stand up for ourselves. Stand up to a bully.

Stand up. Be the face of integrity.

Preserving the gifts of past’s sweat, tears and perseverance. Acting today. Safeguarding tomorrow for all living things, especially for those too small to be heard or seen.

We were once small. We started out smaller than a speckle of dust.

Go short, says the brain.
Go long, says the heart.

The brain wins.

A great team complements and leverages individual strengths while minimizing weaknesses. The collective value-add is greater than the sum of individual outputs. There are no weak links. The team works and wins as one entity.

How do you create a winning team? By paying attention.

People tend to be bad at things they don’t like doing.
They excel when excited.
They’re good at the things they care about.
Be on the look-out for people with sparkles escaping beneath the surface.

They’re hungry for more.
They’re often overlooked.
They’re likely to be bored

If you look hard enough, you’ll find hidden gems everywhere.

They’re ready to step up to the challenge.
They must just be given the opportunity to step up to take a leap.
They must be pushed a little but not too much.
They don’t think they’re ready, but once they leap, there is no stopping them.

Leaders don’t do the ‘work’.
We initiate tough conversations.
We make decisions with imperfect information.
We create and sustain winning teams; coach and enable people to do their jobs.

We solve problems.
Biggest problems are often people-related.
A great resource with specialist expertise and experience, he creates friction and chaos. A cultural misfit.  A demoralizer.
Something had to be done.

I hesitated…am I being harsh. Am I overreacting? Did I give him real-time feedback to courses-correct during our 3-month together?

I had to act.
I did what I thought was best for the team and asked that he be replaced.
The team is happy with the decision. They breathe a little easier.

I don’t always feel ready to make decisions.
I’m not always happy with the decisions I make.
I must stand behind every single decision.

Unasked, the parent checks in to feed the child. Vaccinates crying babies. Schedules annual check-ups. The parent takes care of the child. Keeps them safe from the external world and from themselves as they stick their fingers into electrical sockets; as they taste the earth and run across the road unaware of the dangers of modernity.

The role of the parent and child reverses as we age. Both parties grow unaware. Some catch up. Some never do.

Sure, there is resentment. Absolutely, some issues will never be resolved.
But the fact remains. Without them, there would be no us.

Five more days until I board a plane and take a break from my reality.
Only to find out that the parents driving 9 hours to save money on airfare.

The way I plan must adjust. I need to be mindful of them and their needs instead of just my own. Do things unasked. Reach out to family members for help. Take accountability for them.

I know, I know. Some may say I’m taking on too much. Don’t over extend myself.
Don’t worry.
I am making a conscious choice.
A commitment.

I am doing the things that will give me peace. Bring me joy.

Happiness is not without costs.
Doing the right thing costs time, money, and effort
No one said it was going to be easy.

It’s been 19 months since I last binge watched a series. Eyes glued to the screen, seeing out of space characters even at work. Having difficulty distinguishing reality from fiction. I was dazed. It felt like a dream. A nightmare.

I vowed to never do it again.

I wake up groggy. Dysfunctional. The screen sucked me in and spit out a zombie seven hours later. Eyes are red. Body too tired to sleep.

Of course, I knew better. The temptation was too great! (I’m staying with a friend who has Netflix). It was like opening a big tub of ice cream, vowing to have just a few spoonful. The tub is now empty and I am full of regret.

How often do we get on the path of temptation, knowing full well where we’ll end up? Categorizing a known temptation for opportunity?

I wish I had told you.

And now it’s too late.
Or is it ever too late?

Maybe the time is now.
No more what ifs.
No more regrets.
No more I will wait until the time is right.
No more I will wait until tomorrows.

I have something to tell you.
I hope it’s not too late.
I hope I am not too forward.
I hope I don’t scare you away with my frankness.
I love you.
I appreciate you.
It may not be forever.
I may change my mind tomorrow.
You may not want to see me the day after tomorrow.

But before it’s too late, and before fear takes over.
I’d like to remind myself of how I feel about you. Tell you how you make me feel.

You make me smile.
You fill me with hope.
You are lovely outside.
You are beautiful inside.

If you are reading this, you have found a way into my heart.
If you are reading this, I hope you know that this message is meant for you.

I say too much.
Gone are the days of saying too little.
Often, it’s better to say nothing.

I am learning to charge the room with silence.
To create space
To let others join in
To let others have a say
To let others try
To let others succeed
To let others fail
To let others delay

To do so requires patience.
To do so requires so much patience.
To do so requires patience I lack still.

Today, I struggled.
Today, I failed.
Tomorrow, I will start over.
Tomorrow, I will do better.
Tomorrow is yet another day.