The weather here is starting to change yet the zinnias’ in my garden are still so brilliant with color I just had to share.






As human beings, we exude color each day, too.

We instinctively respond to the colors our eyes -- and mind -- perceive.



You're familiar with people feeling "blue" when they are down. Or they see "red" when they are angry. When the sun never quite shines, we think it's a "gray" day. When someone is jealous, they are "green" with envy.

Color, without our realizing it, can have a profound effect on how we feel both mentally and physically. Here are some examples:

• Blue means peace, tranquility, trust, loyalty.

• Green suggests environment, health, youth, luck.

• Purple represents royalty, spirituality, wisdom... and because I'm a K-State grad, it also means WILDCATS!

• Red is the color we pay most attention to. It is the warmest and most energetic color in the spectrum. Red is love, speed, celebration and strength. Personally… it reminds me of all things that come from the HEART.

Remember, life happens to each of us in color. How we respond to that is the measure of our character.

So with that in mind... what color is your Tuesday?

Monday


Exhausted after a hectic holiday weekend I drive my son Chase back to school and turn around to rush back home.


About an hour and a half outside of Kansas City I find myself too sleepy to drive another minute and check in to the Holiday Inn in Boonville Missouri.

Half hour later I am sound asleep.


Tuesday


After a good night’s sleep and a stolen morning away from everything and everyone but my latest favorite book on tape I arrive home and open my mail only to find a card sent from my sister Jane two days earlier that reads...


It was a moment.


Wednesday


An email shows up in my inbox alerting me to a question posted on the LinkedIn Butcher Block Exchange group.


A member has posed the question:

"My father was a big influence in my early years. What tips do you have about being a modern day father?"

I post the following response...

I have been touched by comments I hear from so many Dad's that I have been privileged to meet as a result of the book I wrote about MY Dad.

The story that came to mind when you asked this question however... was about the Father who came up to me after a speech I did in Vegas about my Dad.

With tears in his eyes he walked up to me and said... "thank you for speaking today... I have to admit however I really didn't listen much at all I was so distracted. You see... this is the first time I've left my 8 week old baby girl and all I could think about as you were speaking was... how can I be the kind of Father to MY Daughter that your Father was for you? I really want my Daughter to love and respect me that much as well... thank you."

I replied... "If that is all you could think about... I don't think you will have any trouble."

It was a moment.

Thursday

I am crazed with work work (paying job -consulting & coaching) and yet the book work (Lunchmeat Legion philanthropy & social media stuff) is consuming me.

On the way to a speaking engagement my friend Betsy calls and reminds me that I have not posted anything on my blog since that last "Jack is Back" message. I tell her that I have not had the time to write anything substantial or meaningful.


She comments that the ..."best blogs are not novelettes... they are bathed in brevity" ... "just write about moments" she suggests.


Now... I have never used the word brevity in a sentence... just for the heck of it I decide to look it up on dictionary.com.

Brevity - the quality of expressing much in few words

I laugh out loud... brevity... there is not a brevity bone in my body... never has been.

In fact... "Mary -one sentence too many- Lucas" is how friends and foe might refer to me... the first lovingly, the second, not so much.


It was a moment.


Friday


I bookmark the to do of writing a brevity based blog post about moments and bury myself in the back log of work work work waiting for me.


Saturday


I blow off writing a brevity based blog post about moments -Day 2 and go back to the "pull over" mental mindset and I play on a gorgeous September Kansas day.


A day filled with moments.


Sunday


I blow off writing my brevity based blog post yet again and finish the book on tape I started on my Monday drive.


Favorite moment in the book?


Antonia says to her Mother... "You are so beautiful" and her Mother replies...


"Life is Beautiful... some people just remind us of that more often than others".


It was a moment.


I am now inspired to write my blog post and share this favorite quote along with my thanks to my sister Jane, the Dad from the speech in Vegas and my friend Betsy for reminding me to "pull over" from time to time and cherish the moments.




Cheers!




P.S. By the way... in case you are wondering I do realize I still have a lot of brevity work to do!

My Boomerang Moment 

You know what they say..."Spring Forward-Fall Back." Well, that’s exactly where I am headed with this Autumn BlogSpot... back.

I thought I would share one of my favorite Lunchmeat moments of late and tell you all about an amazing thing that has happened in my life. Jack is Back!

The back story to what I'm leading up to may ring a bell. It's Chapter Nine -- or the "Jack Story" as so many of my readers call it. In fact, click here to listen to an audio excerpt:

http://maryblucas.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=81

So, I sent myself flowers -- and sent the bill to Jack -- back in 1989. Over 20 years ago. Flash forward to 2010 and what do I get in an email last month? A message from Jack. Read over my shoulder here......

Mary,


I sat down and read your book in one sitting and I really enjoyed it. You could tell the life lessons came from your heart and the admiration you had for your father was quite clear. Anyone who grew up in a close family could relate to the connection you had with both your Mom and Dad.


I also came away from the book with two really strong feelings. The first is something I know you know but hearing it from a distant contact will reinforce that awareness. You really did live and practice what you write about in the book. When I reflect on how you handled different situations, it is crystal clear that you absolutely "practiced what you preach" so if you ever need a testimonial as to whether “Lunchmeat & Life Lessons” worked for you, I'm your man!


The second feeling that kept coming back to me, mainly because of my personal experiences early in my career, is the power of culture. The strong culture that existed within your family and how those experiences played a role in formulating the culture that you helped create at work permeates the book. It is critical to the success of a company that its culture is endorsed by everyone. Your life lessons were embraced by your team and co-workers, you embraced others philosophies and collectively created the company culture. As I witnessed that collective culture, was a key to the success of the company.


A “Life Lesson” for anyone joining a company, or becoming part of one as the result of an acquisition, is to understand and embrace the existing culture. Even if you have been charged with change, that change has a better chance of being successful if you first appreciate what already exists. I learned that the hard way early in my career. As a result of that life lesson, I devoted an enormous amount of energy to creating a strong positive culture and one that is also receptive to new concepts later in my career. I do not believe I would have ever realized the importance understanding and accepting a culture before trying to change it if it had not been for those earlier years. Your book confirmed those beliefs for me. Great job on the book, congratulations on a wonderful second career.


Sincerely, Jack

You could have knocked me over with a feather! What a gift! I was so grateful for his kind words and thoughtful observations. I even asked him if I could share his message with all of you and his response was an immediate “Yes”. I have to say I was blown away... I hadn’t seen or heard from Jack in almost two decades and frankly, never really thought our paths would cross again. But through the power of this little book, "Lunchmeat & Life Lessons: Sharing a Butcher's Wisdom," Jack has returned like a boomerang and landed right back in my life teaching me another life lesson or two.

So what can this "Boomerang Moment" mean for you? Two words: Lasting Impact.

Think of the impact you have on other people each day. Think of the personal responsibility you have in bringing your very best self to those around you. In the workplace. At home. In school. As neighbors. In your own communities. To those less fortunate. To those who seldom glimpse the goodness in others.

Do you present your values to the world proudly, even memorably? Do your actions inspire others to do the same? Do you bring your A Game of honesty, integrity, kindness and generosity in all you do?

That's lasting impact. And I don’t know about you... but Jack sure reminded me with his message that I still have a lot of work to do. I think maybe after all these years that's really the greatest gift Jack could ever send me.....way better than flowers: A reminder that during our time together I lived and practiced the very special life lessons that my father taught me. Even 20 plus years later, he remembers ... so I'll never forget.

As my Dad always said:

Thanks for reading, and may you welcome your own returning boomerang soon!