U-scan...

Part of the fun of living in a small town is that we get "modernized" much later than the rest of the world. When I moved here in 1994 you had to drive 10 miles to the nearest ATM. Now we have 4. The closest traffic light or fast food is 30 miles away.

I went into the grocery store in Hotchkiss last week, and...voila! We got 4 new U-scan check out machines. I know it is a small thing and kind of geeky, but I was psyched! No more waiting in line while the family of eight, with 2 bulging carts (full of the most amazing crap! I swear I counted 16 frozen pizzas and 6 liters of soda) checks out. Of course, they are best friends with the checker and have to catch up and all I have is friggin' doughnut (my own amazing crap!)

This time I was in and out of there in no time...U-scan...U-rock!

The next time I was at the store, I grabbed a few things and out of habit, got into a check out line. I struck up a conversation with an old guy about corn (I am reading "Omnivores Dilemma" right now) and how corn is an ingredient in almost in every processed food on the shelves and in much of the packaging. He ended telling me about his diabetes, how much he missed orange juice and how he once drank 200 year old corn whiskey. He seemed a little addled, so I don't know how much was true, but it was interesting. The checker asked about my kids, if the Broncos would have a good year and if I was hunting this year (I don't hunt, but I am a male in a rural area, so it is assumed I kill my own meat).

As I was leaving the store, I noticed the U-scans and dang it! I had "wasted" time by not using the U-scan. I swore next time, I would use the U-scan and would remember, really remember, my cloth grocery bags. On the drive home I was spacing out and re-calling the conversations I had in the check out, the surreptitious pleasure of reading the headlines on all the trashy magazines and how generous it was that the checker assumed I was macho enough to kill my own meat!

Cha-Ching! Epiphany! If I had used the self-serve lane, I would've missed out on all that cool, very ordinary, fun human contact.

Which is one of the main reasons we moved to this valley. To have more familiarity, involvement and social intimacy with our fellow inhabitants. To get away from the anonymous crowds of the big city and connect with people. That small, everyday event represents so many values that I cherish: friendliness, openness, talking/meeting different people, establishing relationships with folks who serve you, being in the moment with the people in your community, not being so god damned rushed and busy.

U-scan is just another way to buy into the rush,rush, rush which can cut us off from each other. The narcissistic trends of our culture don't need any more encouragement.

So I am opting for the traditional check out lanes, checkers with cool hummingbird tattoos, trashy tabloids and I swear I will remember my cloth grocery bags.

It's Good To Be A Coach...

We all have days that make us feel good about what we do, but how many of us take the time to be with it? It is a new skill for me and it has taken some getting used to. Maybe it is like single malt scotch or really hot Mexican food. Kind of strong, uncomfortable...awright, down right painful, best if applied in small doses.

One of the exercises in coaching training is to have everyone in the room, folks you have known for about 2 days, tell you what they like and admire about you. "Help me baby jebus!" I was about to crawl out of my skin just watching other people be acknowledged. When my turn came 'round I about wet my pants...and it turned out to be a great experience. If other people could see these things in me, maybe I could too. But it got me thinking: I would have been more comfortable being criticized than acknowledged. What is up with that? That is just sick! I polled my fellow trainees and I wasn't the only one who felt this way...

Start you own mutual admiration society, membership isn't free, but it is well worth the cost.

So here goes...

Today I finished coaching with a client and we had a great closing session. I was really proud of the way we worked together to get her past some tough stuff, shared some epiphanies and came up with a plan that got her moving toward some real, sustainable change. She is an awesome, powerful person and I know our community and the world is a better place with her in it, authentically making a difference and living large. It was truly a privilege to work with her.

My big brother emailed me and told me he was proud of me. That was huge. I don't think there is a little brother alive who doesn't want to hear that from his big brother.

I found my "zone" coaching a fellow coach and was courageously honest and direct. I asked some questions that I had been wanting to ask and she really appreciated it. I challenged her and she rose to the occasion. It was really cool. This was on the heels of being challenged by one of my coaches yesterday. Who ever thought a good butt kickin' could be such a gift?

I met a challenge by my coach, asking me to email 5 people to host informal, coaching evenings. What'ya know... I am still alive. Actually, it was easier than I thought and the friends I have heard from are more than happy to host. Amazing what happens when you ask for what you want.

My willingness to "step up to the plate" comes and goes, but each time I do, it gets more comfortable. Think I like spending time here...beats sitting on the bench. Who cares if I strike out. I am always at the top of the order