And now for something completely different........

You know you've had those days, weeks or even months at work when you've thought how you would stand up in front of your co-workers and boss and announce you were quitting, then you walk out the door then and there.  You have the perfect song playing on the CD player in the background, and you envision how moving your speech is, bringing some to tears, and then everyone gives you a standing ovation! You know you've thought about it.  Come on, yes you have, admit it!

I have always had the perfect scenario playing out in my mind and believe me, I'm going to win an Oscar for this performance!  But reality is something quite different. Two days ago, I submitted my resignation after seven years with my company.  With a week and a half still to go, this isn't turning out like I thought it would.  As I've talked to people and shared with them why I resigned, I've been realizing how important so many of them have been to me and what a positive impact they've had on my life.  I've had the privilege of working with many talented and special people from all over the country that have influenced me professionally and personally.  They've taught me about leadership, modeled integrity, and walked with me through personal loss in their lives and mine. And truthfully, I can't think of another group of people with whom I would have wanted to have in my life at those times.  So to all of my co-workers and colleagues who might be reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Whether you realize it or not, God has blessed me richly for having known you.

The one thing that has brought me to this point, and typing this note tonight, has been realizing that God has been calling me out of my comfort zone. God has been urging me to take some major steps of faith and be obedient to His plan for my life; and I now see this more than anything else.  I realize that God placed me in the company where I've worked all these years so He could allow all of these people impact my life so richly.

And this is why the theme from "Rocky" will not play behind me as I pictured in my head and I will not stand on my desk and wield the Stapler of Justice for the last time. Instead, I will sit quietly and reflect on this tremendous gift I have been given, and be thankful for it. I will savor these last moments with these wonderful people and be comforted that I know God will bless this next chapter.

Will you quit poking me, already!

What is social media? While it sounds like something that happens when all of your Encyclopedia Britannica volumes start to chat with one another after you drop them off at the donation room at the Salvation Army at night, there is another definition. I have been able to consult with one of the world’s most renowned and recognized sources of expertise to answer this question: Wikipedia.

Social media includes web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities,and individuals.


That sounds all well and good, but it’s the whole “interactive” aspect that needs to be emphasized. Most people use Facebook, the leading social media website, as a means to interact as passively as possible with hundreds of "friends" so they don’t have to be inconvenienced by having to leave the house and talk to somebody face to face. For some people, the interaction needs to be ramped up a bit instead of just looking at other people’s posts on Facebook and then bring a post topic up randomly in a live conversation and you are trying to figure out how this person knew about the bacon-scented shower gel you bought at Bath and Bodyworks and wound up drinking half the bottle on the drive home from the store.

Facebook is also a great way to allow people to bond around common interests like "The Society For The Awareness To Promote The Proper Milking Of Northern Amazonian Tree Slugs" because it gives people a microphone to the world and they can talk and share about whatever they want whenever they want. But I have an idea to help restore a shred of dignity to Facebook. If anyone abuses their liberties to share freely by loading up your news feed with non-stop pictures of cats dressed as clowns or Farmville requests for help obtaining pig butter, you should be able to demote them to Twitter, where they only have 140 characters and then limit them to only post once a week. Otherwise, these people may hear a knock at the door and it's Mark Zuckerberg who walks into their house and smashes their keyboard on the table.

But in the end, I don’t know that most people feel that much more connected with one another or organizations on these websites. Because nothing beats that wonderful face-to-face interaction you have with the kid selling magazine subscriptions at your front door so he can go to Harvard in the fall. And no one wants to lose out on the ingenious advertising campaign of the mattress store that has a guy stand outside on the corner in an Elmo costume in 110-degree weather, because that is the commercial marketing that I want to see in person.