I enjoy the well-turned phrase and copy them down whenever one appeals to me. I should include them here from time to time. Must be my yearning for a simpler and simple life.

From a NY Times “>review of a just published book of the letters shared between Julie Child and her confidante and collaborator, Avis DeVoto, entitled “As Always, Julia”.
“By the time we develop real taste in food, and begin to learn how to prepare it, digestive disorders set in and weight piles up. When I think what I could have done in my youth, when I ate like a horse with no bad results at all, with the knowledge I’m getting now, I could cry.” AD

From the bottom of an email of a Portland yoga instructor:
Show up
Pay attention
Tell the truth
Let go of the outcome

BP CEO off to a yacht race amidst the unstoppable mess in the Gulf. Umpires and referees get in the way of a perfect game (Armando Galarraga) and a legitimate game-winnng goal in the World Cup (USA vs Slovena). The indisputable need for restructuring of our financial, health and education systems seems to spiral inconclusively as those charged with our laws and their enforcement behave as though they never thought that their job descriptions really meant how they read. What can one rely on?

As a New Orleanian (Y’at describes us better), Holy Name, Jesuit, Uptown – cue the Krewe of Comus ball theme (ha, not us), I marvel that Hurricane Katrina did not sufficiently impress our nation about the imperative need to take responsibility and to prepare for the suspect and the predictable. So, the gods sent us the disaster-fiasco-crime of the violated Gulf of Mexico with the face of BP, nee the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Now we can add the ugly death of the Gulf’s wetlands to our roster of Staring and Hoping for Painless Change Wrought by Someone Else.

By my count, there are plenty of yellow and red cards to award to many in addition to BP (whose stock at $32/share is a good 3 to 5 year buy in my opinion). Fill out your own list of culprits. My first entry is the jaw-dropping statistic that 30% of our country is medically classified as obese! Consumption of its varied manifestations is bankrupting us in the voyage to early demise. Where to start? Call it the Cheyenne Manifesto of Not Complaining or Blaming until you can answer ‘yes’ to the following:

1. Do you actively manage your health by being active?
2. Do you know the names of your state senator and city council rep?
3. Can you live off of the power grid for 7 to 30 days? In Winter?
4. Do you have enough cash on hand to maintain, as is, the family’s lifestyle for 6 months?
5. Do you know by name the five neighbors on each side of you and across the street?

As I write this diatribe, I realize that those who may read this are not the ones that need to read this. I suppose that the more useful question is:

Are you involved in a program or project at a school, within the community or professional association that provides guidance and example for people who seek to improve themselves?

Leadership by example; leadership that insists on common sacrifice for the common good; leadership guided by the belief that we all want to belong to something larger than ourselves. Leadership is neither bullying nor all-accepting.

In 1989 after our small company had made it past the 6 month milestone of survival, we enjoyed a pizza lunch and a motivational video of Lou Holtz. He’s not my hero and what he suggested comes to mind now & again. In essence, if you want people to follow you then they must answer three questions with ‘Yes’:

1) Can I trust you? To me, this means are you consistent? Are you sincere in your behavior and words. This is not about predictability of performance.

2) Do you care about me? After Joe Sestak won the PA 7th District Congressional seat in 2006, I asked one of the overworked interns at 2am why the chief of staff got so much out of the temps, interns and lowly paid professionals? He smiled and replied, “he cares about me.”

3) Will you be there when I need you? In my own small world, this is the one that matters most. I value reliability more than any other personal trait.

Reading about the bankruptcy of Chicago Tribune, the bailout of the Detroit 3… just the bad news which begets more bad news recalls the thinking of our Chief Gunner’s Mate:

When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream & shout.

“All life is lived in that interval between memory and desire.”

Stayed-up to watch replay of the Senate hearings for the automotive bailout. I cheered for the candor of Ron Gettlefinger, President of the Auto Workers Union. The CEOs of Ford, Detroit and Chrysler projected the credibility of, well, used-car salesmen. A sad and saddening spectacle of the once proud engines of our economy, now with a combined market capitalization equal to about 25% of the cash that Apple has on hand, politely threatening the country with a contribution to the financial mess unless we provide $30 billion in hand-outs to forestall briefly their inevitable demise. A long way from the business model innovations of Alfred Sloan and the technical innovations of Charles Kettering.

Today’s New York Times discussed the deserving election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame by New York Jet great, Joe Klecko. JK was elected to the Pro Bowl in three separate defensive positions and joined Joe Namath and Don Maynard in having his number, 73, retired – the only 3. He got mixed-up in a minor and embarrassing insurance scam which may have prevented earlier selection to the Hall. Joe Klecko was known for his toughness (twice the NCAA heavyweight boxing champ) and his commitment to his teammates.

I’m no longer the football fan that I was once; curiously, neither of my sons shows any interest in pro football. I cracked-up over JK’s comment when addressing a group of young football players recently in Canton, Ohio: “My favorite four-letter word,” he told them, is “prepare.”

Perhaps we should all remember this as we find the bottom and then dig our way and ways out of our economic pit.

I met with the Athletic Director of the Naval Academy recently at a fundraiser. He addressed the incredible financial pressure on our colleges and universities to raise funds for athletic programs to satisfy alumni. Such a vicious cycle. Alums want winners; winning programs require extensive funding; extensive funding requires the support of the alumni.

What made his presentation memorable was his example about excellence. Now that I’ve searched the Web, this particular one is everywhere, but I marvelled when I heard it last month for the first time. He described the difference between “potential energy” and “useful energy” or the distinction between “almost” and “excellence” by describing the increase in temperature required to convert simmering water to steam.

1 Degree. Water at 211 degrees rumbles or simmers or looks active, but cannot be put to use. Increase the temperature by 1 degree to 212 degrees on the Farenheit scale and water boils, creating steam which has innumerable applications.

1 degree separates potential from execution. As we consider the way forward in our lives, our work, even our country, let’s think about improving our performances by 1 degree.