Musings on a Monday Morning from Mike Mullin…

The weekly Newsletter of Without A Vision Consultancy LLC

Want this in your inbox? Subscribe to the newsletter.

April 20, 2020 – It’s Earth Day

Good morning!

Day #40 of the COVIDs here in Central Minnesota

One nice development during these COVIDs has been an increase in grandchildren from nine to twelve. Hablas Español? With apologies to all, I’ve never heard this or seen it anywhere… and so I’m claiming it as an original: Arroz by any other name is still Arroz. It’s a beautiful DAY in the neighborhood… sorry about that, plus think about it: Be more like Lloyd. Courtesy of my good friend, Tom, in Vermont, ADD: Mute your ZOOM to the etiquette list. With the COVIDs, have we reached the juncture of Sophie’s Choice?  If not, how much longer, how much further? We mourn with our friends in Nova Scotia.

• Here is a nonjudgmental, friendly twist to what some consider guilt-ridden preaching on Earth Day… but, if guilt works, what the heck, use it.
  • I believe in Earth Day (shouldn’t it be Earth Year/ Decade/ Century?) because I’m a citizen of Earth — and I LIKE Earth, it’s really that simple, nothing more, nothing less.
  • And, I (used to) like being able to SEE places like The Grand Canyon absent smog, or Yosemite, but oooops, I’m starting to preach…
  • As a child I learned a few simple things:  (1)  Leave your campsite better than you found it, and (2) Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
  • What if all eight billion of us followed just those two rules?
    • Don’t give a hoot and still wanna pollute — well, CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF… whether that’s a belching smokestack, a billion-dollar oil spill, a gas guzzling vehicle, or my cheeseburger made possible by a flatulent cow… enjoy, but CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF.  Do something to neutralize or ameliorate your mess.
  • Oh, and in Kindergarten, though it wasn’t invented yet in my day, my kids came home from school with this song:
    • School is over for today, time to say goodbye… Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!
• Consider JUST your yard/ backyard — or, if you’re among the few lucky enough to have more than a tiny patch of ground, your total acreage:  (The Smithsonian, Tallamy)

1. Shrink your lawn;
2. Remove invasive plants;
3. Create no-mow zones;
4. Equip outdoor lights with motion sensors (horrible light pollution);
5. Plant keystone species (best of the best for the most impact);
6. Welcome pollinators;
7. Fight mosquitoes with bacteria;
8. Avoid harsh chemicals.

• Looking for a family-friendly COVIDs activity?
  • Line up your bananas on the counter from greenest to ripest and then when you’re ready to eat one, take it from the already-triaged lineup; no difficult decisions needed when you pre-sort.
• This might be a good week to celebrate the passing of the torch from one generation to the next, in the category of, What are you reading?
  • Erik Sevareid’s classic, Canoeing with the Cree, is a Woodstock-esque coming-of-age book from the 1960s, one of those books that for every ten people who claim to have read it, one actually did– and then a few of those even paddled canoes.
    • Well, my daughter read it last week — and she liked it… I can rest in peace as this next generation takes charge.
    • Another great book for Earth Day — or any day:  The Planter of Modern Life (Heyman).  [They say he taught Hemingway, Carson, and others.]
• “Over the coming decades, the continent of Africa is set to play a much more important role in global affairs, the global economy, and the global imagination.
  • Demography is one reason.  The continent’s population will likely double by 2050 giving it more than 25% of the world’s total.
  • Economies such as Nigeria could overtake France or Germany… seven countries from Africa could be among the 15 to grow fastest worldwide the next seven years.
  • Progress is not inevitable, nor will it be evenly distributed… the new generation is not just optimistic but is gaining the tools to turn hope into reality.”  (The Economist)

A Poem by Kitty O’Meara; enjoy!

And people stayed home
and read books and listened
and rested and exercised
and made art and played
and learned new ways of being
and stopped
and listened deeper

someone meditated
someone prayed
someone danced
someone met their shadow

and people began to think differently
and people healed
and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways,
dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
even the earth began to heal

and when the danger ended
and people found each other
grieved for the dead people
and they made new choices
and dreamed of new visions
and created new ways of life
and healed the earth completely
just as they were healed themselvesWhat do you get when you work with Without a Vision Consultancy LLC?

• We listen, we learn, and then we customize our response to deliver:
  1. Confidence
  2. Clarity
  3. Coaching
  4. Companionship on your journey… sometimes it gets lonely and it’s good to have a friend.

When you tell others about me, please be sure to emphasize my unique focus: 
I work with individuals, governance structures (Boards), non-profits, and businesses wanting to be bigger, better, stronger, healthier, happier… yes, all five are possible and best done in concert, but it typically requires a coach (consultant) or a companion to help illuminate the path.At Without a Vision Consultancy LLC — www.withoutavision.org — we LISTEN, we LEARN, we LISTEN some more, and only then do we suggest strategic directions unique to your situation.  We do not bring a one-size-fits-all template, nor the latest flash-in-the-pan solutions, to working with you.As we work with you we deliver and provide an increase in your CONFIDENCE, and CLARITY while providing coaching and companionship for your journey.We bring more than fifty years of experience from all sides of the Board table in thirteen different leadership roles — 26 of those years as a CEO.

###

Looking for help on your next capital campaign, leadership training, or any number of other services? Contact us today!