The Flying Troutmans

Finished reading the Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews

An interesting road trip story about Hattie Troutman who takes her niece and nephew on a trip through the United States to find their father.  Min Troutman, the mother, suffers from mental illness and was placed for treatment at the beginning of the story.

It is a story about family and discovery of one's place in the world when things are seemingly bleak.  I found it interesting because I have become more aware of that part of the world which is often hidden away.

My sister in-law's brother in-law suffers from manic depression and every so often he wanders off the medications.  My brother has never been diagnosed but is probably on the spectrum with a touch of Asperger's.  This became a bit more evident upon reading Raising Cubby by John Elder Robinson.  This is a father's tale of raising a son that has Asperger's while Robinson himself has Asperger's.

And I am coming around to understanding that we can't keep people in the shadows and hope the problem will go away on its own or that someone else will deal with it.  This is an issue that is coming to the forefront in Vancouver with Mayor Gregor Robertson focusing on housing the mentally ill.  There was also a study indicating that it does not cost much more to house the mentally ill as compared to burden placed on the police, medical and social services community.  The closing of Riverview put a lot of people at risk and in my opinion some people need to be institutionalized for their own wellbeing.

The world is getting smaller and more people are living in cities now so we all need to figure out how to get along.

Gabor Mate's letter to the health minister

One of my issues with the current government of Canada led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper is its lacklustre attitude towards science.  Scientists have to go through a strange process to release their data and speak with reporters.  That has gotten to the point that even the media outside Canada has commented on this 'muzzling' of science.

However, today I wanted to make note of Gabor Mate's letter to the Federal Health Minister on the federal government's stance on prescription heroin in helping heroin addicts recover from their addiction/illness.

In this letter, Mate challenges the minister on her decision to block this treatment and questions the basis of this decision.  It is obviously one of emotion not logic as it goes against the scientific evidence.

Addiction is a horrible thing and the war on drugs has not succeeded.  Other methods to help those addicted to drugs, whatever drug, need to be tried.

Just remember this next time we go to the polls.  We are all on this planet together and if we are unwilling to help those around us then this planet will work harder to reject us.

Michael Bloomberg, the soon not to be Mayor of New York

When Michael Bloomberg became mayor of New York City in 2001, he was worth about $4 billion and as he leaves office at the end of the year he will be worth about $31 billion.

For the year of 2013, he will have spent about $400 million on pet causes, which is only 1.3% of his net worth.

It is commendable that he is willing to spend his money on education, smoking bans, and other health initiatives.  It is also a little scary to think that at the age of 71, that even if he gave away a billion a year, he would probably die before he ran out of money.

Nike, Walmart and Unilever

Once upon a time I was one of the naysayers and critics of Walmart.  But the C-suite of Walmart is working on changing the way they do things.  It is partly a wait and see but it is nice to see that such a massive cog in the world economy is making the effort.

I came across a blog entry on the Guardian that discusses how Walmart, along with Nike and Unilever are looking into changing the shipping industry.  Shipping of products makes up 17.5% of U.S. transportation carbon dioxide emissions and this number is expected to increase.  So it is nice to see that businesses are taking an interest in reducing these emissions.

Every little bit helps.

Workplace Wellness

In researching workplace wellness and the benefits to the bottom line, I cam across a blog on Health Work and Wellness which may have been of use to me a few months ago.

Hopefully the advice will be of use to others.

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By Amy Jen Su, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Isis Associates, Executive Coach, Author and BWC 2013 Final Keynote Speaker and Workshop Facilitator

In a world filled with endless choice, opportunity, and instant communication, we manage plates too full, run on auto-pilot, and multi-task to keep our heads above water. In our effort to “get it done”, we have lost the joy of the process leaving many things, ironically, incomplete. Yet, research has shown that focus is an essential ingredient to leading a successful and fulfilled life. How then do we build and cultivate the quality of focus?

Make Decisions and Stick to Them
Breakdowns in focus often occur before we begin. We skip the very foundation necessary for true focus to exist – making a conscious decision and then sticking to it. This includes everything – from choosing our life’s work, determining the priorities for our teams, down to what we will accomplish in a given day. Focus begins with setting intentions, declaring our commitments, and then acting directly from these. While decisions are not locked in stone, there is value to making them, sticking to them, and then consciously adjusting them when need be. Conscious adjustment is different than consistent indecision and worry.  A client, Susan, struggled for many years with focus before settling into her current role as a principal in a marketing-services firm. “I’ve always been interested in many things that it has been hard to choose a career path – even now, I find myself distracted wondering if I should be following my life’s passion of working in non-profit.”

Eliminate/Manage Distractions

Maintaining focus is not only hard on the big decisions in life but also difficult in our daily lives as well. After two weeks of self-observation, Susan uncovered two key sources of “focus saboteurs”. First, unexpected requests from other people, which she usually responded to immediately, interrupted her flow of work. Second, she became conscious of how frequently she responded to email to procrastinate on high priority work that she either did not enjoy or required a significant chunk of “thinking time” to complete.

Cultivate the Quality of Focus
Short-term, structures and systems can support our focus but ultimately, we must cultivate the quality of our focus for highest impact. This involves shifting the hard-wiring in our bodies filled with anxiety, tension, and “pushing” to flow, attentiveness, and presence when engaged in an activity. Quality of focus ensures that when we are working on a document, we’re fully engaged in the process. When we’re with our families, then we are fully present with them versus thinking about work deliverables.

Cultivating this quality of focus requires slowing down, engaging in meditative practices designed to build awareness and attention, and quieting ourselves enough to really “hear” what we want. Susan learned that the big paradox in all of this was that by actually slowing herself down, she became more efficient – now eliminating many things on her list that were there because she lacked focus in the first place.

Reflection Questions:
1. In what area of your life would having greater focus benefit you?
2. Throughout your day, what distracts you from your highest priorities or intentions?
3. Throughout your day, what conditions were in place when you experienced great focus or flow?
4. What new systems, structures, or practices could further support your ability to focus?