A Green Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday

Here's the trick of the day... finding a "green" dilemma or situation that can be challenged by the wisdom contained in one of my Creative Whack Pack cards. They come in four colors including red, blue, orange, and green. I, of course, will choose a card that is green.

Situation... I've got it. Girl Scouts wear green uniforms and I have been milling over an idea I would love to present to the Girl Scout organization. That makes this the perfect idea to present. Why Girl Scouts? I don't know. I was never a Girl Scout, but the idea of earning badges has always appealed to me. Actually, I like the idea of participating in the development of young girls and since I don't have any of my own girls, this seems like a worthy place to direct my energy.

The idea I would like to pitch emanates from the fun I am having playing host to my pen pals (see 3/4 - DeLiver De Letter De Sooner De Better). In a nutshell, I would love to expand the pen pal experience to more girls - teaching them the art of letter writing; different forms of correspondence; the excitement of making a new friend; creative mailing ideas; and on and on and on. Ideally, Girl Scouts from all over the world would be offered the opportunity and I would help coordinate the experience for a local troop. Each week that girls worked on earning the badge, we would mail something new to their pen pal - packages, letters written in code, questionnaires, photos. Maybe the experience could even culminate in pen pals meeting at an annual Girl Scout meeting (I'm guessing there must be one).

Ok, now for the Creative Whack...

Beware of the Unintended. In preparing for the Olympics, the coach of a leading crew team invited a meditation instructor to teach awareness techniques to his crew. He hoped that such training would enhance their rowing effectiveness. As the crew learned more about meditation, they became more synchronized, there was less resistance, and their strokes got smoother. The irony is that they went slower. It turned out that the crew became more interested in being in harmony than in winning. What are the unintended consequences (positive or negative) of implementing your idea?

Unintended consequences of my idea might include things such as:

• Less time to spend with my sons.
  


• My creating an experience centered around letter writing, maybe I am not being forward thinking enough. Should I be promoting the use of technology among girls - not paper and pen?
  


• Girls could forge relationships that would last a lifetime. Imagine a fellow Girl Scout flying in from far away to be a bridesmaid in her pen pal's wedding.
  


• Maybe the reason I'm having so much fun doing this is because it is small scale and not a lot of time or pressure. Maybe doing it on a larger scale would be less enjoyable.


• The U.S. Post Office will love it. With the price of a stamp going up to .42 cents, fewer people will want to use snail mail. Maybe they will view this as a great promotional opportunity (what's more apple pie than the Girl Scouts) and be sponsors of the annual pen pal meeting!

Now it's your turn. Are you milling over an idea - something for work, friends, or your kids? Try brainstorming the unintended consequences.

Signing off until tomorrow... P.S. Someone asked me to post the yummy sugar cookie recipe we used during Sunday's cookie marathon (shared with me by Nan). I will post it in today's Comments Section. It's worth trying.