BOOMER by Tim Engel (smallest ebook reader txt) 📕

the Grand Canyon. You look and try to soak it in. You’re in awe of the beauty, the majesty. I am reminded of the great earthquake that reversed the flow of the Mississippi in 1811. The New Madrid earthquake. Evidently the quake was so violent that the river bed was upset and caused the river to reverse directions for a few minutes. If a quake like that occurred here, now, nearby I think that I could probably run like the wind…well, like as fast as I could away from this river’s edge. I could see some trees that would eventually be falling into the river. Today, tomorrow, next year. Their root base being worn away by the relentless flow of water.
I continued along the river’s edge. The drop from the river bank to the water looked to be about 12 feet. Wouldn’t want to fall in there. I see across the way a tributary that cuts in from the farm land across the way. Interesting. I wonder if it’s another river or just a creek or stream. More trees more river. Amazing that as I walk, though I am continually amazed at God’s creation. A maple tree is a maple tree is a maple tree. True that. But not. Because every one is different. Every foot of the Missouri River is different. Every angle, every leaf, every branch, every moment is different and I am continually blown away at the majesty, the beauty, the variation of color in this day; in this moment. Now.
There are times where we get bored, we get tired, we get filled up with the mundane. The routine. But as humans we tend to stick with the routine. We don’t want change, we want routine. Because that’s comfortable. On the other hand, when we change the routine, when we challenge ourselves is when we grow. I was taking a law class and the professor was from Berkeley (the finest law school on the planet, said he) and he said you’re never more alive than when you’re learning, than when you’re in school. Good point and seems to be held up by recent studies about anti-aging, anti-alzheimers, anti-dementia. They say to stay sharp and avoid growing old, you need to challenge yourself, learn something new. I guess I mention this because it came to mind that I really wasn’t looking forward to the BLC. My previous visit was a mixed bag. The amenities, people, food, facilities, etc. were top notch. The curriculum…not so much.
First on a daily basis they switched things up to keep us off balance. They told us X in the morning and Y in the afternoon. Oh, sections 1, 3, and 5? Don’t read that. Read 2, 4, and 6 and then don’t work those questions, write a paper and give a presentation… In retrospect we see it was all to ‘keep us off balance’. To teach us about being flexible and responding to different situations. Which was interesting. But the days were long and instead of learning, I think we were mostly just tired, worn, and confused. To top it all off we had to play a silly star wars game complete with lights, special costumes with gold stars and medallions; again, all to teach us about team work. It was disorienting, confusing, maddening. I’m not sure their methodology was getting the desired result.
By contrast, this time was something very very different. The curriculum was focused on promoting trust and focusing on employees’ strengths. When I ordered the books from Barnes and Noble, I was impressed. Right from the get go. Trust and strengths? Wow. I had hired in at a time when Theory X management was the mainstay. When you would go to meetings and see Directors and Vice Presidents belittle, threaten, intimidate and basically dehumanize people in their employ. How sad, I thought. I would later fantasize about beating the blank out of thse same ‘Executives’ if given the chance. Perhaps at the Laughlin reunion? Yes – who would be my first victim? No, I didn’t want to go to jail. And wasn’t I a Christian? So I couldn’t very well do that, could I? But for a minute or two it was fun to imagine. I would later see many of these gentlemen at the Laughlin reunion and decide that time had been kind to them. It had humbled and softened most if not all and I couldn’t imagine hurting them now. Well, maybe a couple…
So why this talk about routine vs change? I guess I wanted to say that I was really glad to be here in Missouri. And that the worst part about the last visit had been vastly improved. It was like Boeing gets it now. All the game playing – figuratively and literally – was gone. They talked now about trust. Fostering a trusting environment where speed and efficiency are the result. And focusing on strengths. Instead of constant push to fix our weaknesses; focus on accentuating your strengths. Take a team of smart people, a diverse team with different strengths and you can beat the world.
This second session of the BLC for Senior Managers was ‘mandatory’. That meant get it done. So I scheduled it way back in the Spring. But the year had filled up quickly and I couldn’t get there until Fall. I was hoping the weather would be nice. I had been in MO when there was ice on the ground and when the heat and humidity was as thick as molasses. But this time was …perfect. It was unseasonably nice. About 10 degrees above normal. Perfect.
The actors in the movie 300 used change and unbalance. They used muscle confusion to get in shape for the movie. Every day the workout changed to keep the muscles off balance. To force the body to respond. One thing I had found recently was the need to change up my workouts. From spin to stairs, to crossfit to elliptical.
Benchpress, pull downs, pull ups, squats, deadlifts. Changing it up. So as much as routine feels good, feels right, is safe, and not as taxing. It is important to have change, variety, to mix it up.
I took more pictures and continued down the path. The Missouri wasn’t in a hurry. She kept on amblin’ on. Downstream. I kept moving up the path and still remarked the beautiful trees. I passed an assembly of hummingbird feeders. They think of everything here. As I walked further up and came again to asphalt I saw there was a grassy area leading up to a thicket. I imagined a band of renegades with tomahawks and wondered at my chances. I was in some kind of shape but didn’t have any weapons. I came back to reality and was blown away at the beauty of this place. Further up I can see the back side of the BLC and again the trees that were planted here. Possibly chosen for their gorgeous colors or red and orange. The rounded corners of the BLC with windows are great architecture. I enjoy their beauty. This 285 acres is quite a place. The trail steepens as I get closer to the center and I think this is good insurance against flood plain waters.
I stop back at the fitness center and meet Sylvia. As nice a person as you’d ever want to meet. I notice her accent and mention it to her. I ask if she is from North Dakota or possibly Minnesota. No, she says but she’s glad I noticed her accent and says she’s from Canada. I say yes, you sound like the nice sheriff lady in ‘Fargo’. Funny fella. Ya. She says yes – similar to that. We chat a bit about fitness, the gym, the equipment, etc. I tell her it’s my second visit and that I really appreciate the center and all of the nice amenities.
One great benefit (I think) of being in a fitness regimen is the lack of sickness. It’s rare for me to get sick. I think instead of having 2 or 3 colds a year I now go about 2 years between colds. Well, for whatever reason, I am coming down with a cold now. Maybe stress, maybe not washing my hands. Not sure. But sure enough, I’ve got a sore throat. Dag nab it! Colds are a pain in the ass – or a pain in the head I suppose. I have a snot locker full of it and it’s yucky. Hard to breathe. So what do you do when you get a cold? Take medicine, drink more water, get more rest. But I was 2000 miles away at the BLC. Another lady who was in our class suddenly quit coming to class. She had a cold too. Poor thing. I wanted to sit in my room and drink liquids and watch Oprah, too – but I figured if I did that I might have to make another trip to St Louis Missouri. So I grinned and bore it and took meds and drank water and just tried to get better. My throat was trashed so the tickle was there ever-present. Cough. Cough cough. I hated that. The lady at the front office graciously gave me sinus/pain/and cough drop meds. This took pretty good care of things. But that dang tickle in my throat. When I wasn’t sucking on a cough drop it was a peppermint trying to keep my throat from getting dry and scratchy. The common cold. I wish it wasn’t so common. But the common cold has how many sources and how many variations? Endless? They say it’s caused by a virus. And we haven’t cracked that code, yet.
It’s been about a week since I first had a sore throat and now I’m in the midst of the cold. Yuck. Being sick is a terrible feeling. A result of man’s fall. Sin.
What now? I have time. Time to write. Sitting in my room down the way the Missouri River ambles. Keeps on amblin on. I write. 1600 words a day. This is my first book. First one. I had always wanted to be a writer and now is my chance. National Novel Writer Month.
Michael, Diane, and Pam are our teachers. They’re a great team. Michael is a free lancer(?) and Diane and Pam are resident full-time here at the BLC. Michael travels all over teaching. He says this is the place. This is the best place to come. He said few Corporations have this kind of place for learning. For leadership. He plays competitive hockey. Pam told us about her fitness journey. Once she came to the BLC she gained 40 lbs. She told us how she was frustrated in