Tag: Curiousity

Game Night

We have been experiencing a historical period of rainfall in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have had inches and inches of rain over the past week. That has led to staying indoors because you really don’t have a choice. All we have been doing is literally watching the grass grow !!

Like many families, we spend too much time on screens. It doesn’t matter if it’s a laptop, a phone or a TV. Images and sounds are constantly bombarding us rendering us nearly immobile. Sure, our brains are being stimulated, but our bodies are stuck in a constant state of being sedentary. I’m not making these observations to be judgmental. Far from it. I enjoy screen time as much as anyone. However, it also loses its luster.

A fellow couple gave us a ring because they were feeling trapped in their house as well. They asked if we wanted to go to music trivia at our local watering hole on Friday. We had made plans to go to a small group potluck on Friday that included some games to be played, so we had to pass. We really wanted to see them so we asked what they were doing Saturday. They were geeked to come over then, so Debbie and I started planning.

We threw together a crockpot of Kickin’ Chicken Chili which has become a family favorite. We also planned to have cornbread muffins to soak up the chili, and topped off the dinner with a batch of homemade monster cookies !! When Todd and Kristy rang the doorbell, Debbie and I were grateful to see our friends.

Dinner was filled with laughter and slow, unhurried conversation. We always enjoy our time with our friends. Before we broke out the homemade cookies, we all gathered around our dining room table for a rousing game of dominoes. Playing Mexican Train is a family tradition for my side of the family. We have a set of dominoes and we’ve purchased sets for our daughter and son. We’ve even bought them and given them as wedding presents. They’re a hit with everyone !! On top of this, my uncle is a master woodworker. He made trays to hold the dominoes which we love to use.

Now, you need to realize that if you play a full game of dominoes, you had better not have any additional plans. To get through all of the rounds, you end up playing the game for two to three hours. We completed a full game on Saturday night and didn’t feel we had been together for such an extended period of time.

Slowing down, disconnecting from screens, and relishing time with friends always leaves us refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on whatever comes the following day. When you remember that we were wired to be curious and play as humans, then game nights like this seem natural. In fact, you get the urge to have them more often because they are so much more fulfilling than just taking in a streaming series.

What’s key to this game night (and the ones that are sure to be planned in the future) is that we had time to do it. Hours of time !! All of the multiple distractions that try to vie for our attention are still present, but they are pushed away to allow you to breathe and enjoy the time you have instead.

This week, get in touch with some friends. Open the closet or visit the shelf you have that is crammed full of games. Pull a few out and start playing. I plan to have more friends visit as we continue to play more often. Add a dinner, a dessert or even a few drinks. You have the time. You always have. Use that time to play during your game night !!

It’s Bananas !!

If you’ve been a regular reader of my posts, you know I have some quirks. I think most people do, but they tend to keep them to themselves. I find that they help define who I am and how I view life. I have various collections of llamas, lava lamps, conference lanyards over my entire career, buttons (like the flare when TGI Friday’s was popular), and shoes. Specifically one brand of shoe – The Chuck Taylor Converse.

I had my first pair when I was in 7th grade and joined the Ada Jr. High basketball team. When I started to play basketball, the standard of having nice, high-top, leather sneakers hadn’t yet come to be. I was at the end of the tradition of playing basketball with canvas Chuck Taylors which had absolutely no support whatsoever along with no arch supports. They are not “good” for your feet, but man are they stylish !! Our school’s colors were purple and gold, so my first pair was a beautiful dark purple set of size 13 high-tops.

I loved them and was hooked. Throughout high school, I always made sure to have a least one pair in my closet even after we switched to leather high-top Adidas sneakers for basketball. I just liked wearing them. Their innate comfort was a way to relax as I made my way through those awkward teenage years. During college, I made sure I had a pair of kelly green Chucks as I meandered the pathways of my alma mater Ohio University because the school colors are a proud kelly green and white.

Post college when I started my HR career, I bought a pair of bright red Chucks since I moved to Cincinnati and was a Reds fan. In fact, I went to a Reds outing with work peers from Procter & Gamble, and they asked me to sit in a section away from the majority of them because of my shoes. I was geeked that something so simple could be so disruptive. As my career started to take off, I invested in more pairs of Chuck Taylors so that I had a variety of colors to wear whenever I felt the need.

When I started to speak at HR conferences, I originally dressed like the other speakers. I wore khakis, a buttoned-down Oxford dress shirt, and dress shoes. I was mimicking those I saw who were also on the speaker docket. I thought that following the norm would open more doors for me. It didn’t feel right. I wasn’t being true to myself. At my third presentation, I decided to bring out the Chucks. I went with a solid deep blue. I switched from khakis to jeans, and my Oxford shirts switched to either a rock t-shirt or a sweet 70’s inspired paisley.

You’d have thought I injured somebody when I received comments from tenured HR peers and conference committees. This wasn’t “business casual” or the classic “professional.” Ironic isn’t it? How someone dresses is more of an obstacle and a focus than the content a speaker provides. Now, 20+ years later, I’ve started to see the dress of speakers begin to shift. Some still rock out traditional suits and dresses while others stretch to wear jeans and dress sneakers. I’m cool with whatever they choose to wear. If it makes them feel at ease, and they can bring their content to help others learn, then it all works.

One of my favorite pairs of Converse is covered with bananas. They are reflective of an Andy Warhol painting. I’ve always had an affinity for Warhol. He looked at the obvious things around him and turned them into art. Soup cans, Brillo pads, Coca-Cola bottles, iconic celebrities, and bananas. He even tied the banana to the experimental and revolutionary rock group – The Velvet Underground. They’re also made of leather versus the traditional canvas that most Chuck Taylors are constructed from.

The shoes are a reminder to always view HR, people, work, and life differently. Refusing to follow the norms while still being inviting to others. Being disruptive doesn’t mean one has to be destructive. Far from it. It only means that you don’t have to accept things and just fall in line because everyone else does. It’s a small variance from what people expect. Usually, it leads to conversations, questions, and interest. Then who knows where things could lead?

I think it’s bananas that more people don’t push the boundaries around them to form new ones. It would be great if everyone found whatever their personal Chuck Taylors were. Then, they’d make sure to put them on and walk into the world around them. I think if more people would look at constructive ways to disrupt, the world would be a brighter place !!