A Discovery and Gratitude

So I’ve been writing content for local rags since 1998; back then, my office manager had to be fluent in chicken scratch. Today’s local newspaper pieces come by way of keyboards, screens, and links. The joy from the process remains therapeutic.

My approach is still semi-old school. The free expression applied to a legal pad chicken scratch hybrid cursory style hasn’t changed. But instead of handing off paper or a floppy disc to the editor, I’ve moved onto my own double play combo of: from-Word-to-Patch.com-to-LinkedIn.

And I’ll admit to being curious about likes, comments, and shares, but feedback from friends, family, and colleagues I know eyeball-to-eyeball is mostly what helps me to keep on keeping on. There’s a bit of loneliness that comes with the journey when you get off the 46- year dental practice bus and your team keeps on riding. But if you remain optimistic and stay curious, the discoveries you experience can keep life interesting.

Back in April, the Famous Dr. Allen Lycka, straight outta Edmonton Alberta Canada and LinkedIn.com, linked in directly and asked for a discovery conversation.

Doc Lycka is world renowned for all kinds of stuff; he’s a retired elite cosmetic dermatologist and remains a best-selling author, international keynote speaker, business and life coach, and radio/podcast host to over seven million listeners. We both grew up in the 60s and clearly remember them. In 2003, Doc was given what turned out to be a misdiagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and six months to live. 20 years later, Lycka’s positive energy, curiosity, and optimism have prevailed; he hasn’t even lost half a step.

My Zoom conversation with Dr. Lycka was a joy. The interview that followed led to my becoming part of Doc’s International Order of Fantastic Professionals (IOFP). During my first monthly IOFP mastermind meeting, I found myself sharing the screen with a host of heavy hitters, all committed to supporting one another on journeys toward extraordinary goals.

Through the years, I’ve learned there have been Von Bulows of some historical note. Hans was a distinguished 19th century conductor, pianist, composer; he fell in love with and married Franz Liszt’s daughter, Cosima. Otto Von Bulow was a WWII German U-boat commander (we don’t brag too much about Otto.) Klaus wasn’t a Von Bulow; he borrowed his mother’s maiden name and added the “Von” on his own…and he was Danish and allergic to work. I guessed Dr. Allen had chosen the right Von Bulow, but I was still stricken by a touch of the Imposter Syndrome blues.

A week after the mastermind, Lycka threw down the gauntlet in the form of “THE FANTASTIC LIFE CHALLENGE, Do The Thing.” Seventeen dares in seventeen days. Challenge acceptors and coaches met on Zoom, three Mondays in a row. We daredevils answered the challenges for seventeen consecutive days and posted answers daily to a Facebook group page; we could text, record a video, or roll the dice and go Facebook live.

The dozen or so of us seemed to gain comfort from mutual support that also secured accountability and trust. Overthinking gave way to heartfelt sharing, you could sense we were all pulling for one another.

A Bonus Dare: If you had the chance to speak with any luminary, either living or passed away, who would it be?

My answer to the question was first, my dad. Dad remains my #1 mentor even though he died on March 6, 1976. When I have an important choice to make, my first thoughts are, “What would dad do?”

My luminary was Jim Murray, an LA Times sportswriter from 1961-1998; he was the first Pulitzer Prize winner for sports commentary. Murray was just a beautiful writer who wound up on the Sports Page. I read Murray from the Eighth Grade to twenty years in private dental practice; he was a master storyteller, seeing sports within a decidedly big picture, and applying the elements of humor, irony, and humanity as if with Picasso’s brush. Murray was opinionated and fearless in expressing his take on racism, leadership, and the state of social progress.

To this day, I remember Murray stories that brought a tear; as a kid, I couldn’t read them to my mom without choking up.

After my Facebook Live share, Coach ML aka Mare “nudged” me to read a Jim Murray column to the group. Coach ML had even researched the Pulitzer prize winner. And some coaches, including my mom, just plain know how to ask.

I purchased “The Jim Murray Reader” (a series of Murray’s favorite stories) at Pasadena’s Vroman’s Bookstore in 2019; I hadn’t read from it in at least five years. I chose a piece from 1979, “If You’re Expecting One-liners, Wait, a Column.” Before going on FB Live, I rehearsed reading the column about Murray losing the sight of his “good eye.” And it was like 46-years had vanished. I went Facebook Live and read the piece aloud…barely making it through.

Today, just like in the Eighth Grade, I’m reading Jim Murray every morning…with a melancholy smile and a sense of gratitude.

Dr. Lycka, Stacey, ML, and all the Fantastic Professionals, thank you for helping me underscore gratitude that’s been part of my daily morning ritual for over twenty years; it’s the part where I say, “I’m grateful for all my amazing experiences and a challenge every day and the chance to grow (as if challenges and amazing experiences need be mutually exclusive.) It’s never too late for a discovery.