Warren School thanks Harvey Leonard

On May 4, Ari’s school, the Warren School in Ashland, was hopping with excitement. It was the official opening of the Warren School Weather Observatory. Mrs. Karen Taylor’s first grade class donned their handmade weather-themed hats, got their poems ready and went into the courtyard to view this massive structure for the first time. That alone would have been exciting enough, but there was one other piece which really put the icing on the cake. Channel 5 Meteorologist Harvey Leonard came.

Harvey spoke with the students about weather and why learning about the weather is so exciting and educational. Harvey also helped the children try out the new wooden deck, ladder and observation area, complete with a wind sock, weather vane and rain gauge.

The students asked questions, read their poems and asked more questions. Harvey soaked it all in, basking in the moment of seeing a new generation of children who would develop a true appreciation for his passion. Harvey showed a wealth of kindness and patience. He answered every question and reacted to every comment which came his way, including one from a boy who said, “I need to go to the nurse and get my allergy medication!”

Harvey then joined two students in the office to announce the first official weather station reading over the PA system to the entire school. First graders will be using the weather station daily, recording observations to log and reporting their findings to fellow students on the morning announcements.

Kudos to Mrs. Taylor for submitting the winning proposal to the Ashland Education Foundation, which provided a $2,000 grant. Volunteer Julian Doktor, a retired educator in Ashland, offered his skills as master craftsman. Indoor equipment allows weather readings in bad weather, too.

It was a day to remember at the Warren School in Ashland. Thank you Harvey Leonard for making it extra special.

The Words of the Dalai Lama

Before now, I had never read much about the Dalai Lama, the man one addresses as His Holiness. He looks like he's at peace, doesn't he? Here is a man who, at age 16, lost his freedom in Tibet. At age 24, he lost his country to harsh Chinese rule. Those years were filled with constant fear and threat. In the 50 years since, there has been continuous sad news from Tibet, which puts the Dalai Lama in a difficult position. Even so, he maintains people should approach life with compassion and a realistic attitude. He says peace of mind and good health bring big benefits, and create a peaceful atmosphere.

My friend Cece Doucette recently heard the Dalai Lama speak and shared her notes with me. I would like to share some of them here:

Humanity and a friendly attitude are primary. Kindness, love and affection are universal, they bring happiness. Friendship, concern and respect for one another are universal inner values.

When you approach life with an open heart, everyone is a potential friend. Hatred, anger and fear eat away at our immune systems. Those who go through life with the focus on I, My, Me have been scientifically shown to have a greater risk of heart attack.

Everyone is just a human being. When we look at someone, we should see that without regard for his or her status. There is no difference among us.

When we are frustrated by an outside event, close your eyes and go inside for peace. This is a good lesson for young people to learn today.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. If life is too easy, obstacles seem too big. Develop a realistic attitude.

There is no singular solution to the world’s problems. If you base your life on material goals, you will never be content. There is no limitation, however, on mental values and spirituality.

Make a simpler life, be kind, do what you can for the ecology.


My point: It is easy to write and read these words. It is more difficult to put them into practice. Try to take even one message and follow through with it in your day-to-day practice. See what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Been to the Bank Lately?

Have you been to the bank lately? I don't mean the ATM. I mean to a teller at a real person. I did. And it was a very positive experience.

Last week, I went to the bank with the kids to open savings accounts for each of them. I hadn’t received their ATM cards yet. Even if we had, I would not have been able to push $30 worth of rolled quarters, nickels and dimes through the little slot anyway. So, off to the bank I went. I grumbled a bit bc I had to wait until 9 a.m., but I survived.

I arrived at 9:10 and the place was hopping. The very tall man in front of me asked me how I was. How pleasant! The woman behind me was trying to tame a fidgety toddler named Jackie with a lollipop. Every window was busy, and tellers were taking their time with customers. The receptionist was making sure everyone was taken care of and offered to conduct certain kinds of transactions if it meant easing the line.

The experience was refreshing and reminded me of days gone by when you didn't have a choice but to go to “the window.” My teller, Linda, was friendly and cheerful. She asked me if I knew about a specific program and described its benefits. Helpful. I walked out with a smile.

Well done, Bank of America. Thanks for the memories. I will be back.

Leave Mr. Obama and his BlackBerry Alone

All those in favor of President Obama giving up his Blackberry raise your hand? All those in favor of him keeping it? I thought so.

A recent Newsweek article titled, “Will the BlackBerry Sink the Presidency?” delved into this topic. The article mainly discusse the danger of interruptions by the Blackberry on brain processes. The authors write, “Given the damage caused by interruption overload and continuous partial attention, we can infer either of two things about people who use their BlackBerry while holding a conversation, weighing decisions, trying to solve a problem or attempting to do creative work with, they claim, no ill effects. Possibility one: they are lying. Possibility two: their work just isn't that hard.” This was based on research from the Harvard Business School.

Can you picture it? “Excuse me Queen Elizabeth, I didn’t hear you. I was looking at my BlackBerry.”

I would imagine the President gets interrupted by many more things, such as people, more than he might his BlackBerry. In fact, I don’t know how he can sit and think with the number of meetings, calls and much ado about whatever whenever and wherever he is. His BlackBerry probably allows him to take a step back and get lost in his thoughts once in a while.

The authors also write, “Truly novel solutions and ideas emerge when the brain brings together unrelated facts and thoughts. That is hard to achieve when you are attacking the problem head on.”

There is also something about low self-esteem and using a BlackBerry. If that’s true, then we have millions upon millions of people in all positions with low self-esteem. Don’t blame that on the BlackBerry.

I use one. It saves me as I am not in the office all day and can stay quite connected to the mother ship and my clients. I am more confident with it in hand when I need to be out of the office.

My point: Fortunately, the folks at Newsweek ended the piece with “…If you're the most powerful man in the world? Not a worry.” Whew. I got scared for a minute that people really believed the president wasn’t going to be able to run the country well because he had a BlackBerry. What’s next? Take away books because they might give him ideas?

CVS MinuteClinic - Worth the Trip

I haven’t been sick in a decade. Not like this anyway. It started as a little cold. I can handle that. Then it blossomed into a 101 fever and a bronchial thing that really threw me for a loop. Of course, it was on a weekend. I didn’t want to go to the ER, so I tried the CVS MinuteClinic on Route 135 in Ashland. Very impressive. There is a room near the pharmacy that looks similar to any doctor’s office exam room. I signed in via kiosk and walked right in. There’s something new in the medical profession. A very nice nurse practitioner named Heather greeted me and asked me some questions. She jotted all of the information on her computer, which I learned is a proprietary system.

I was covered under my Tufts health insurance, so I only had to pay my usual co-pay. An ER would have been double the price, and I would have still been waiting.

After she got the basics, she began some tests. First, she swabbed my nose to test for the flu. She then checked for strep, ear infection and other basics. Good news. No flu, no strep and no ear infection, although lots of fluid. That also left her with a decision to make about what I did have. She checked my lungs. Yes, I have junk in there, but when I cough, it breaks up. Another good sign. I was feeling better already.

After some thought, and consulting with another colleague, she decided I had a virus and to take Mucinex plus an inhaler. Mucinex is OTC, but the inhaler with albuterol, would be a prescription. She assured me none of this would break the bank either.

The bill for everything, including my usual co-pay, was $67. Price to not have to wait in the ER or a doctor’s office... priceless.

I got my meds and went home.

It has been four days, and I am feeling much better. I even went to the gym yesterday, which helped my psyche more than anything.

And the other day, I received a card from the CVS MinuteClinic and Heather saying, “I hope you’re feeling better.” Wow.

My point: Good for CVS for doing this. It fills a need and will hopefully relieve some of the stress in the ER. Maybe my case wasn’t extremely complex, but this is the kind of case this place can and should be able to handle. I give it an A. Now, if I could just recover my taste buds….

Why I love social media

Last year, I caught the social media bug and haven’t looked back. It started at work when we held a Social Media Olympics. The agency was divided into teams and we had to accomplish certain tasks in the social media context to develop our skills as PR professionals– develop a blog, get on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.. any of those areas, put more Search Engine Optimization into clients’ press releases. The list goes on. It was mainly for work. I can’t learn something just by listening. I need to do it, get it wrong, do it again and maybe get it right the next time.

I am more active on Twitter and have recently joined Facebook. I truly enjoy both. First, I love people. I love learning about people, getting to know them and making friends. Everyone has something to offer. And I enjoy sharing. Facebook has allowed me to connect with friends from college and camp. It is also a great way to stay connected with friends and family. Not sure about you, but there aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the month to get together and stay in touch with everyone. With Facebook, you can comment on something, and your “peeps” will get it and possibly respond.

At one time, we thought email was taking the personal out of communication. Then we realized we couldn’t live without it for work or our personal lives. Facebook is the same thing. It doesn’t take the personal out of relationship, but rather it fosters relationships and even helps build new ones.

My point? If you’re not on Facebook or Twitter or any of the social media platforms because you don’t think you have the time, think again. Let’s face it, people are nosey. We want to know what everyone else is thinking. If we didn’t, all of media would evaporate. Social media might even help us weed out what’s out there. Even Sam ended up liking green eggs and ham.

I Gotta Kick the Habit

It takes a tragedy to open up someone’s eyes. Let’s take… cell phones and texting while driving. Estimates of the number of U.S. traffic deaths caused by cell phone talking while driving are generally in the 2,000 - 3,000 range with one hundred times as many injuries. Now, add in texting. You get the picture.

I admit it. I will use my cell in the car. I have also texted on my Blackberry And anyone who denies he/she does that is lying. Abigail always yells at me for doing that. She’s right.

Which is more valuable, your family’s safety or that one more email to the friend or client? I’ll take the family any day of the week.

This isn’t going to be easy but I am going to vow not to text during car rides. I cannot promise I won’t use the cell phone, but I will try to use it less. Maybe only receive a call.

I think I know what it means to have a habit. I need to kick the habit before it’s too late.