Dear First Lady...

Maria Shriver,

My letter is an effort to share a compelling reason why you and I should meet for lunch.

I casually picked up your book, Just Who Will I Be, in Barnes and Noble one evening and began flipping through the pages.  I landed on a section where you noted your embarrassment about allowing your loss of position to chip away at your self worth.  Immediately I was drawn in and preceded to stand in Barnes and Noble reading the book front to back.  Have no fear, I still bought the book and in fact have read it again... and again.

My story.  I am forty-two years old and the mother of three boys.  My family recently uprooted and moved from Louisville, Kentucky to Dallas, Texas because of my husband's business.  I've spent my entire life working and have always intended to be a professional woman.  I was Dr. Beeny to virtually everyone in Louisville, where I served as Dean of Students at Bellarmine University, a small Catholic university.  Finding a position of interest has proven difficult, so the past year has been filled with indecision, sadness, moments of relief, and lots of confusion.  Your book came at the perfect time.

So far nothing I have said is all that compelling, I know.  Every woman has a story and many have probably put paper to pen in order to tell you theirs.  Keep reading.

In an effort to keep myself sane in my new role as stay-at-home-mom, I started a blog titled, highlowaha.com.  The purpose started out as simply sharing a creative idea a day.  A loyal readership developed quickly inspiring me to do more with the blog than originally planned.  Ultimately, I want the blog to be a place where creativity meets community... a place where the collective creativity of readers is used to improve our surrounding communities.  You have a commitment toward shining a light on extraordinary things women are doing, so I know my vision for the blog does not fall on deaf ears.

Still, not compelling for a woman as busy as you.  I know.

Here's the clincher.  I frequently challenge my readers to think big and to believe the impossible is not all that improbable.  I recently challenged them, based on content from the book, Never Eat Alone,  to make a list of three people they would like to invite to lunch: someone they know, someone they would like to know, and an aspiration person.  YOU were the aspiration person with whom I most wanted to have lunch!

There seems something so important to me in demonstrating through m own example that taking risks and being bold works.  Many of my readers listed aspiration people they would like to meet for lunch, but my guess is most everyone will stop there.  They won't pursue the dream, due to deep down, learned cynicism that there's no point in trying, because "stuff like that never really works anyway."

You are married to a leader and you exemplify leadership yourself.  So you know, for my blog to reach its full potential in creatively serving community, the readership has to believe that, yes our single acts can, in fact, make a difference.  My achieving, through this simple gesture of writing a letter, the goal of eating lunch together would go a very long way in restoring belief that we are capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to believe.

Your passion radiated from the pages of your book.  Hopefully some of my passion has been made clear through my letter.  Please join me in instilling a sense of possibility among my readers, by having lunch with me.  You are clearly busier than I am, so I will gladly work around your schedule and wait as long as necessary in order to make this dream a reality.  I can be reached by phone at (inserted my number) or by email at cbeeny@lslog.com.

Sincerely,

Claudia K. Beeny

P.S. If lunch won't work, maybe a Starbucks.  Like you, I start off each day with a Starbucks.  My drink of choice... cinnamon dolce, non-fat, no whip, and heated to one hundred eighty degrees.

So, that's it.  That's my letter.  It was delivered in a green mailing tube with purple shred and fun stickers on the outside of the tube.  Cross your fingers and let's see what happens.  I'll be excited to hear about what happens with your invites too!

Crossing my fingers and signing off until tomorrow...

Fox and Hound

Life works in the most curious of ways.  Last week, while interviewing Wendy and apropos of our conversation, I mentioned my interest in re-connecting with Bob Younger, the Division Head at a camp I worked for a number of years ago.  I didn't think another thing about it.

  

Yesterday, my husband called home and asked me if I knew anyone by the name of Ira Goldklang (a good solid New York, Jewish name) .  I replied, "no," as the name did not ring a bell.  Richard shared with me that Ira sent him an email wondering if by chance he was married to a Claudia whose maiden name was Kamhi.  That he is.  Ira went on to say that he is working to reconnect a number of people who worked and attended the Samuel Field Y Summer Camp between 1981-1986. 

Inside of one week, two references to my favorite summer camp.  Life works in curious ways.

So, today... Saturday, in honor of Bob Younger and the summer camp responsible for so many fond memories and in keeping with our FFAF topic (Staying Sane when School is Out), I will share one of my favorite camp games.  Fox and Hound. 

The summer camp was one of a kind.  It was a day camp located on hundreds of wooded acres on Long Island.  Our days were filled with archery, arts and crafts, sports of all sort, camp songs, clearing and building camp sites, hunting for berries and then making jam over a camp fire.  It was about campy as camp could get, but it was a day camp.  Three times a summer each Division (cluster of 6-8 groups, based on age) had an overnight.  This meant, two swim periods instead of one, cooking dinner over a camp fire that we started, singing camp songs around a big bonfire, and staying up all night wondering what was in the woods.

Fox and Hound was especially fun on overnights.  The idea.  Each group (my campers and I were always the "Pioneers,") would divide into two smaller groups.  Half the group would head out with a roll of tape and a stack of arrows cut from construction paper.  The other half of the group waited thirty minutes and then followed behind searching for the arrows you left behind.  Naturally, the idea was for the Hounds to find the Foxes who, in turn, were trying to outsmart them.  We especially loved this game on the days when an overnight was scheduled, because traipsing over the hills and through the woods would inevitably tire out our campers. 

 

I have three boys and I can see Richard and me dividing up to play Fox and Hound with them.  It could work at a park, around your neighborhood, or heck... even in a mall.  And, if the game holds true to form, they'll be asleep by nightfall.

Enjoy your Saturday.  If you were following the blog all last week, you know I challenged you to invite three people to lunch by August 5, 2008.  Ideally of the three people, one would be someone you already know, one would be someone you want to know, and the third would be an aspiration person.  My aspiration person was Maria Shriver.  I mailed her letter yesterday (in a green tube, filled with fun shred, and covered in stickers).  In an effort to keep you in the loop, I will post it for you to see tomorrow... Sunday... my normal day of rest.

Signing off until tomorrow...

Free For All Friday: Staying Sane When School is Out

T.G.I.F.

And the winner of the fun note cards thanks to Matthew, my-pick-a-name-out-of-a-hat-assistant, is... cspgradstudent.  If it's o.k., I'll present them to you, in person, on Wednesday! Otherwise you'll cross in the mail.

First an amendment to Free for All Friday, compliments of my smart and intuitive friend, Heather.  Heather assures me, if I didn't assign a Free for All Friday topic, that our readers would have plenty of last minute topics around which brainstorming could occur.  So, my I-S-T-J self (Myer's Brigg Personality Type, for anyone who doesn't know) is willing to relax and be more willy nilly about the whole thing.  From here on out, I might present a topic, but I might not. Regardless, you should feel free to chime in on any given Friday with something you would like discussed or brainstormed.  No limit to the number of topics being tossed about.

A topic I bring to the table today is... strategies for staying sane now that school is out and kids are hanging around the house.  I met a woman in line the other day who explained this was the first year her ten and twelve year old would be staying home instead of going to daycare.  She was a nervous about how she would balance their being home with her working out of the house.  Another friend of mine typically plays host to all the neighborhood kids who love playing in her pool, drinking refreshments out of her refrigerator and eating her out of house and home.  So you see, with school just out and eighty-one more days until Ricky starts back, it has the potential to be a looooooooooonnnnnnnnnngggggggg summer!

What ideas or strategies have you employed, heard about, read about, or dreamt about to keep yourself and your kids sane?

Here are a couple of my own thoughts...

As you might remember me sharing during Random Acts of Kindness Week, I had a little sister through United Way while living in Ohio.  Her mother didn't have the means to send her to summer camp, so summers for Amanda were long and uneventful.  I worked as well, which is to say I was no great help in entertaining her either.  That is, with the exception of one activity we would do each summer.  Here it is...

At the start of the summer I would present Amanda with ten large manila envelopes.  Inside each was a weekly challenge.  Completing each challenge earned her Funny Money, which at the end of the summer could be cashed in for something(s) of her choice.  I don't remember all the challenges, but some of the activities were things such as:

• Create and advertise a lemonade stand, raising money for a local group.
  
• Memorize where each state in the union is and then successfully complete a playground-sized map of the USA, drawn with side walk chalk.
  
• Start a club on your block.  Develop a purpose, rules, membership.
  
• Seal a time capsule.
  
• Produce a show to be performed for me, her mother, and anyone else she wanted to invite.
  
• Create an invention using random items supplied by me.

You get the gist.

Here's another thought... Co-op Camp.  Picture this....  Five friends or mothers get together. Each takes one day of the week (if you couldn't negotiate one day off from work each week in the summer then each mother would take one week off work and host for a full week at a time). Here's an example...

• Mondays with Claudia for art camp
  
• Tuesday with Cassie for cooking camp
  
• Wednesdays with Cheryl for drama camp
  
• Thursdays with Wendy for sports camp
  
• Fridays with Erica for spy/detective camp.
  

Yes, you must create one day's worth of activity a week, but then you get the gift of having your kids engaged for the other four days... FREE!

Now your turn... what other ideas do we have for surviving summer?  P.S.  You don't have to have kids to have good ideas surrounding this topic.

Announcements:

• Today is Taste of USA-What's-Your-State-Made-of-Voting-Day.  So, if you live in Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Carolina, or Arizona... TODAY is your day.  Post the largest number of notable things about your state and be in the running to win the fun-filled day of brainstorming with Claudia and Cheryl... who will visit you in your state!  You won't want to miss it.
  
• Up next week...Utah, Indiana, Mississippi, North Dakota (come on Julie Cole), and Arkansas.
  
• Bigger or Better: We're still looking for someone to offer up a trade for Maureen's generous offer of a case of Sauvignon Blanc wine, delivered to your door step.  Come on. Our goal is to trade up for a plane ticket by the first week of August.

Let's Do Lunch

Announcements at the end...

One of the benefits of not working right now is I have time to read books that otherwise would be sitting on my nightstand waiting for the ever elusive free moment. In some small way, I feel like I am providing a service. I read a book, distilling the most salient points.... enjoying myself all the while... and exposing you to information you might not otherwise have.

Such is the case with today's blog.

The art of getting to know people is never more challenged or tested than it is when you move to a new city. Yet, my strength is not networking. I enjoy getting to know new people, but not in way that seems contrived or disingenuous. Thanks to my sister in-law welcoming me into her circle of friends; local blog readers like Cheryl; and old friends either moving to the state or still here from my first Texas go-around, my social network feels healthy. I still yearn, however, to involve myself in something meaningful - something either professionally-based or community-based. That has proven more difficult.

Thus the reason the book title, Never Eat Alone, caught my eye. I could easily eat alone most days... squirreled away with a good book or an interesting article. Engaging with mere acquaintances... never mind initiating such interactions... is not part of my hard wiring. For Keith Ferrazzi, however, it is second nature... 100% natural. I decided I could use a pep talk from Keith, so I bought the book.

I must admit some of the book felt a little over the top to me. Ferrazzi seems like Joe-Networker on steroids. He tells tales of waking up at 4 a.m. for conference calls with people in New York; meetings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, coupled with pre-breakfast coffees, midday snacks, and pre-dinner cocktails with a whole other cast of characters; touching base with people via phone while sitting in cabs; and sending and receiving emails while sitting in the airport; then... waking up the next day at 4 a.m. to do it all over again. Me? I'd settle for a few interesting lunch meetings a week. So, I continued reading...

Something Ferrazzi says with which I do agree is, "Creativity begets more creativity, money begets more more money, knowledge begets more knowledge, more friends begets more friends, success begets more success. Most important, giving begets more giving." This law of abundance is, in many cases, what motivates him to expend so much energy on his circle of friends and business associates.

This is a blog about creativity, so let's focus exclusively on his first principle... Creativity begets more creativity. I believe that this true. I set out to host a blog about creativity and by interacting with all of you, I have in turn become more creative. We are in some ways as creative as the people with which we associate.... regardless of whether or not he/she considers themselves creative. Example... many, many years ago I worked with a woman who would proclaim herself void of all creativity. It's true she wasn't great at "making things," but she was masterful at organizing herself and her time. I learned many a thing from her about creative ways to store documents, to use my calendar, and strategies for handling each piece of paperwork only one time. By observing and participating in her world, I gained access to information that helped feed my creativity.

POINT: We must continuously feed our circle of friends and acquaintances if we are to remain vibrant, interesting, and yes... creative individuals. Ferrazzi actually maintains a list of three kinds of people and then systematically sets out to develop (and maintain) relationships with all three: (1) People he knows; (2) People he'd like to know; (3) and aspirational contacts.

Here's your challenge... a challenge in which I too will most certainly take part. Sometime before August 5, 2008 you should have requested a lunch meeting with someone from each of Ferrazzi's three categories. Here's how mine will shake out. Maybe it will give you some ideas for your own lunch invitations....

People I know: There are a number of people in Dallas who I knew from when I lived in Texas years ago. Some of them purely social contacts and others professional contacts. In the next two months I would like to invite Susan Adams to lunch. Susan works at Texas Christian University and while my connection to her is not strong, I do know her. Initiating a lunch with her (someone I technically already know), will allow me to reconnect and hear what is happening on TCU's campus.

People I want to know: There are lots of people I would like to know.... the Executive Director of Girl Scouts for North Texas; the Editor of our local paper - The Grapevine Courier; and Marti Pevehouse, the Director of Membership Development for the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce... to name a few. Maybe I'll pick one or maybe I'll work my way through all three. I'll report back as lunches occur.

Aspiration Contacts: Right now I have one... maybe two if you add Ellen DeGeneres. The one person on my aspiration list right now is Maria Shriver. I'm sure you're left wondering why. She recently published a book titled, Just Who Will You Be. The whole time I was reading it (start to finish in Barnes and Noble in about 30 minutes), I could have sworn she was talking directly to me. Her message hit me square between the eyes. I want to sit over lunch with Maria Shriver and learn more about her journey... what prompted her to publish this short book, and what life lessons she has to share as a result of her self exploration. I intend to write her a letter, telling her of my... OUR project and inviting her to lunch.

Remember... we can feed our creativity by inviting new people into our circle of friends. Assuredly we can have an "aha" from even the least creatively-minded person.

So, who will you invite to lunch and why? Share your list with fellow readers and be entered in a drawing to win these fun note cards...


ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Bigger or Better: We have officially consummated our first trade!!!!! Maureen - loyal blog reader and contributor - has traded one case of wine for my Fish on a Stick Pin. So, the question is... What will you trade for a case of Sauvignon Blanc (a yummy summer wine)? Let the offers begin. And yes, I love Cheryl's idea of having readers post on Face Book, My Space... anything that helps us extend our reach. All the interested person has to do is post a comment stating what he/she would like to trade.
• Taste of USA: Yesterday Minnesota, today North Carolina and Arizona. Friday is voting day!
• Random Acts Postcards: Thank you for all of you who took a minute and sent me a postcard with your name and address. It has been such fun receiving them in the mail. If you haven't done it already, it's not too late. My mailing address is 4012 Harvestwood Court, Grapevine, Texas, 76051. Anyone who submits has the chance of being the luck recipient of a random act of kindness. Thanks again!

Signing off until tomorrow...

Whack on the side of the Head Wednesday: Bigger or Better!

Ah, it was only one week ago today that we whacked the Altoid tin (see May 28).  Thanks to von Oech, our thinking was jarred and the group came up with the award-winning idea to use my mother's impressive collection of Altoid tins to create a Curio Coffee Table.  We'll place the table in a local coffee shop where people alike can get and give treats, simply by trying their luck and lifting an Altoid lid.  I will keep you abreast as news about the tables breaks.

If it's ok with you, today I'd love to spend some time whacking highlowaha's latest initiative... Bigger or Better.  The idea is a great solution to assuring that Cheryl gets to accompany me to Taste of USA's winning destination (click on Taste of USA icon at top of page for more information about Taste of USA contest).  Yet, as confident as I am about the idea, I know it can be improved.  Ultimately the goal is to "trade up" my original item (Fish on a Stick) for something bigger or better.  We will not stop until we have a round trip plane ticket to whichever state wins Taste of USA.

I will get busy selecting a card and applying it to this dilemma.  As last week proved, however, my input is only a piece of the puzzle.  True resolution will come only if you, my loyal readers, make time to provide your input.  Thanks in advance.

von Oech's magic Whack Pack card says...

"Solve the Right Problem."  I'm not returning until you fix it." bandleader Count Basie told a club owner whose piano was always out of tune.  A month later Basie got a call that everything was fine.  When he returned, the piano was still out of tune.  "You said you fixed it!" an irate Basie exclaimed.  "I did," came the reply.  "I had it painted."  Are you solving the right problem?  Is there a more significant one you're overlooking?  

The problem, as I am most inclined to describe it, is that... highlowaha.com's reach is not expansive enough to provide the necessary network for successfully trading up to a plane ticket.

Hmmm... Am I solving the right problem (blog's reach) or is there a more significant one I am overlooking?  If addressing the issue of "reach" is not the most significant problem... what could it be?

• Investment.  Are the majority of highlowaha readers invested enough in Cheryl receiving a ticket that they are willing to participate by either trading or spreading the word?  
  
• Simplicity.  Would an interested reader know how to "trade up" if he/she wanted to? 
• Approach: Is an expansive reach necessary in order to receive a ticket?  Maybe the problem isn't reach, but instead the "trading up" approach. 
  

Now it's your turn.  Whack the idea by either commenting on what I've written or share you own thoughts.  You know the ultimate goal... Cheryl and me boarding a plane to ____, for a fun-filled afternoon of fun, games, and prizes.  While I'm on the subject.. today we visit Minnesota and Thursday we stop in North Carolina and Arizona.

Signing off until tomorrow...

I'm a Basket Case

Typically the idea I feature is something I've either done (turn trash into treasure); something I want to do (Bigger or Better);  or something I have sought out (Wendy and Freebie Friday).  

Today's idea came to me with a little help from my friends.  And, it's a good thing because last night was a late night.  A group of friends came over for dinner last night for a somewhat last minute barbecue.

When the burgers were done and everything was ready to go, I pulled out our Standard Oval Sandwich Baskets.  Not a time goes by, when we use those baskets, that we do not get some kind of comment about how cool they are or their usefulness.  So, today's entry will be short, simple, and practical.

We bought these black baskets from Sam's Club three or four years ago.  My job, at the time, was such that I hosted a lot of students and staff at my house and we were always in search of convenient ways to serve informal food (hamburgers, barbecue, chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, etc...). We wanted minimal waste and minimal clean up.

The sandwich baskets were the perfect solution.  All we do is place a tin foil or wax paper liner in the base of the basket and place the food right on top.  Just like something you'd see in an old-time diner.  When everyone is finished... we simply throw the liners into the garbage, rinse out the baskets, and call it a day. 

 

How much?  A box of twenty-four Oval Sandwich Baskets from Sam's is about $15.00 (can't remember exact amount years later) and a box of 500 liners (that's a lot of people, unless you own a restaurant) is approximately $8.00.  Four years later... the baskets are holding up great and we're still on the original box of liners. 

With summer comes the onslaught of graduation parties (Maureen); cookouts, birthday parties (Andrea), pool parties, and other social gatherings.  Consider getting a set of baskets for yourself.  You won't regret it!

Announcements:

• Calling all traders!  I'm serious about trading up until I can get Cheryl a plane ticket to escort me to whatever city becomes our winning destination.  But, it won't work without people offering up some trades.  Keep the dream alive by sharing our goal with as many people as you know.  All they... or YOU have to do is post whatever it is they are willing to trade for my fabulous Fish on a Stick.  Want to know more about this adventure?  Read yesterday's post (Now Boarding: Bigger or Better).
• Taste of USA is underway.  Today is South Dakota.  Tomorrow... Minnesota.  Want your vote to count, but don't know what I'm talking about?  Click on the icon at the top right hands side of my page.
  
• Free For All Friday (FFAF) topic:  After a number of requests and a handful of phone calls with friends in despair, this week's FFAF has been set.  It is... Staying Sane When School is Out. What strategies or suggestions do all of you have for how moms can stay sane (and occupy the time of their children) now that school is out for the summer.  They can be suggestions of things to do with your kids or tips for how moms stay rejuvenated. Remember, don't post our ideas on the subject until Friday.  Mill it over for the next couple of days. 

Now Boarding: Bigger or Better!

It's Monday, so let's jump right in... 

 

Taste of USA.  This week are: Utah, Indiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Arkansas. On deck... Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Arizona.

Today is going to be a fun day.  Hopefully you got some rest over the weekend, because we have an adventure ahead of us and it will require each of us - new readers, returning readers, and lurkers alike - to be at 100%.

A couple of weeks ago I stopped in Borders Books looking for a book (and an excuse to get a White Mocha coffee).  They didn't have the book, but the coffee I got.  Before leaving, I decided to make a quick detour through the store and in this particular case found a book of interest... judging it SOLELY by its cover!  Yup, that's right.  Smack in the center of the white book cover was one red paper clip and I wanted to know why.

Interestingly enough, the title of the book is, One Red Paperclip and it is a great and fun story. Little did I know when purchasing the book, the entire story is about one twenty-something guy and the adventures of his blog (added bonus!).  A quick synopsis, since you'll need it to understand highlowaha's newest adventure.

Kyle was an unemployed twenty-five year old Canadian guy, living with and mooching off his girlfriend.  He was caught between knowing he needed a "real" job and pining over the simpler days when his biggest teenage concern was gas money for the car he didn't have yet.  Kyle reminises of an urban Canadian legend where some teenage boy, starting with a simple item - "traded up," until finally he got a new car.  Kyle and his friends always dreamed about doing the same, but as life would have it, they got older, wiser, and more practical. 

 

Finally at twenty-five with little to lose, Kyle decides life is too short to live with regrets, and that finally he is going to challenge himself to embark on the game Bigger or Better.  But if a teenager can successfully trade up for a car, he should be able to do better.  So instead of a car, Kyle's goal was to trade up for a HOUSE (that way he could stop mooching off his girlfriend). What did he start with?  You guessed it.  Staring up at Kyle, while sitting at his computer crafting the first blog message, was... one red paperclip.

Fourteen trades later (red paper clip for a fish pen made of wood for one door knob for one camping stove... and on it goes...) and with the help of people from all over North America, one red paper clip became a house.  How did he do it?  Kyle posted the red paper clip on his blog and then waited for offers to come rolling in.  Once the "right" item was offered, Kyle officially made the trade and then updated his blog with his new trade item.  On and on it went until finally he got his house.  I won't give all the details away, in the event I've compelled you to want to read the book (an easy read with a terrific ending).

All of this would have fallen on deaf ears... or blind eyes as the case may be... if it weren't for Patrick (artnme1560).  Yes, you Patrick.  Two weeks ago, Patrick made the suggestion that I could sweeten the Taste of USA pot by bringing Cheryl (the fun and games behind the whole contest) with me to the winning location.  This by the way is something I had already been milling over in my head, but with the cost of airfare, could just not figure out to make happen.

Then came Kyle.

Kyle seems like a great guy.  Impressive.  Living in the front row of his life.  That kind of guy. But I figure, I'm fun too.  Does Kyle have a house full of oversized stuff, because his life motto is "think big?"  I don't think so.  But me... yes.  I've got a HUGE converse sneaker, ruler, crayon, pencil, clock, coffee cup, heck... even a tweezer!  I know Thinking Big!

So, I figure if Kyle can play Bigger or Better and, in just under a year, walk away with a new house, surely in two months I can trade for a plane ticket. 

 

So, here's how it will work.  Our goal is to start with my initial item and then, item by item, trade up for things that are bigger OR better.  In the end we want one free, round trip, plane ticket to whichever state wins Taste of USA (which I dare say is still completely up for grabs).

Are you in?  

Here's the thing.  There is NO WAY in heck this is going to work if only drawing on our current readership for the making of trades.  Kyle posted his on Craig's List and was literally choosing from thousands of offers.  I don't want to be a public copy cat, so instead of using Craig's list, I was hoping we could draw on our networks (mom's groups, friends, colleagues, Face Book, My Space, other blog sites you visit, etc...). 

Now for the unveiling of the first item... purchased at a garage sale on Saturday...

"Fish on a Stick"

This beautiful fish pin is the perfect summer accessory.  Approximately 2" x 1", it will add a sparkly touch to any summer outfit.

Signing off until tomorrow, but now - at 6:45 a.m. - let the trading commence...