First, I am sorry it’s taken me so long to update my blog. The Road Tour, work, and then family activities simply caught up with me…But I’ve missed writing, and am getting back in the groove as we progress through our Journey of Renewal together and finish up the final cities of the Univera Road Tour…Though some of my stories and ideas on writing have accumulated over the past few weeks, so beyond posting a final Chicago update I also have a few more great stories and “behind the scenes” to share.
Towards the tail end of our road trip there were two great cities we visited in the Midwest. Traverse City, Michigan, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The former being a one-time adversarial state (I grew up an Ohio State Buckeye, but have since left those roots as well as much of the fun rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State) and the latter being a two time state I lived in, the first being for my undergrad studies the second time while working at Eli Lilly and completing my MBA. I have great memories of Indy.
The Road Tour has involved a fair amount of flying in quite a few cities and airports. And there are times when I really enjoy flying. A quiet and scenic airport (Colorado Springs is among my favorites: small and charming, lots of glass in the airport, blue skies, views of the Rocky Mountains…), departing on a half-empty mid-sized plane on a two hour trip with an upgrade to either the emergency exit seat or first class can be a really enjoyable experience, flying on a clear day 30,000 feet high on a turbulence free ride. Quiet solitude. Time to think. Listening to the iTunes. Space to work. There really are some times when flying really can be magical.
Then, there are other times when flying is a drag.
Sometimes it has everything to do with who you are sitting behind.
Some of the downers include arriving late to hyper-busy airports, lots of equipment to take through security, short and frequent flights with long layovers in crowded airports with cranky passengers. Then there are these moments where everything actually goes right but you simply get placed in a seat right behind the wrong passenger.
Imagine, you’re a big guy–perhaps even of Lithuanian lineage–with shoulders crowding into the other seat (the one you didn’t pay for). Everything feels to be invading your personal space. Maybe you’re invading everyone else’s. You’re trying to balance the decaf coffee precariously between your legs, as you try to tap away on the laptop reading and responding to emails. And, just then, you get some guy directly ahead of you that slams his seat back full force.
And, really, what is up with that–why the brutish force? You don’t do that at home in your Lazy Boy recliner, do you? Let’s consider this. Have you ever seen someone sitting peacefully at home, watching golf, drinking wheatgrass juice while chewing on some barley, then suddenly and without warning decide to rocket back the recliner to a 180 degrees in a projectile-like manner?
Yet, this is what happens in airplanes all day throughout America (I have not experienced this with my friends in Canada).
Are there points awarded for the person who can put these seats back with the most force or the fastest? Must we be such a violent and anxious society that it has now come to propelling seats back at warp speed? Truly, it’s a weird phenomenon.
Beyond this, admittedly it raises the ire a bit when the passenger in front does this and proceeds to take a nap as you’re sitting there practically eating the headrest in front of you.
But, somehow, these things aren’t as annoying when it’s your boss who is in the front seat. 🙂
Landing in Traverse City is really charming, a small but beautifully decorated airport and quaint lakefront downtown. Regan and I enjoyed our time at the leadership reception while Stephen shared our story and science with some healthcare professionals next door. The meeting in Traverse City, hosted by Diamond Bill Wolfington, was packed. Over 200 in attendance, really significant considering the size of the town and surrounding area. And, from here, the very next morning we hopped on another commuter flight–again going through Chicago–to arrive into our second to last meeting in Indianapolis.
Our meeting was actually at a hotel where the famous chef, Wolfgang Puck, first began developing his culinary skills. The leadership reception was filled with lots of laughter and even some practical jokes–and not just from Mark Middleton, though he accounted for about 80% of the decibels in the room. If you don’t know Mark, he’s as good natured, optimistic, and funny as they come. Plus, he has an infectious laugh.
From the leadership reception we proceeded to the general session where we competed head-to-head for attention to the season finale of “Dancing with the Stars” as well as “American Idol.” But tonight we had a lot of fun, and again with Diamonds Mark and Patty Middleton hosting the event along with participation from Tony Fightmaster we left the evening and a few of our final cities feeling renewed.
I met for the second time a wonderful woman named Shelly, who is essentially a wellness and nutrition coach. It was inspiring to me to hear about someone who is so passionate about health and wellness, and certainly Univera is a great outlet for her to express those talents. But it’s also great for people in Univera to have people like Shelly as part of the team. Because these talents, this knowledge, rubs off on other people, on peers. I ALWAYS learn something when I visit a city or talk to people. Always. Within that rests some of the great opportunity we have as a community, to tap into all these different talents and perspectives of the life-changing programs she has introduced to her clients over the years.
She explained to me how she works with each patient on the appropriate balance mentally, physically, and spiritually. It was encouraging. It made me want to be better in all areas of my life, and the discussion was a strong reminder that measurement and daily assessment of this progress was a vital component of meaningful and sustainable change.
Speaking of measurement, the three of us have been counting down the Road Tour. Particularly Regan and me since we have been on the road most of the last five weeks. So Chicago, the next day, marks our final stopping place on this leg of the Journey. One more city…
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