I had the privilege of spending time with Brad Montague this past week. This was my second time being in his presence. Brad is a lot of things, one of which is a world-class children’s author. I first saw him at the EO Global Leadership Conference in Oahu in March of last year. In a large venue filled with thousands of entrepreneurial leaders, Brad spoke about the power of storytelling and the often-forgotten magic of childlike play and whimsy. He mashed together the words Play and Work into a new word, Plork, which captures that spirit.
He speaks of working from an emotional place, not for a specific emotion. From joy, not for joy. From love, not for it. Of course, when we put ourselves in that emotional place, we benefit as much as those who receive our creative output. Givers are receivers at the same time. The ease with which Brad’s stories evoke emotion led me to think of him as “the Aaron Sorkin of Dr. Seusses.” He cuts to the emotional center of things effortlessly.
Over his prolific career, Brad has had the honor of working with NASA, and he had the opportunity to speak with a real, live American astronaut: Ron Garan. Garan spent more than 178 days in space across two missions. Brad asked him about the heroism portrayed in the 1998 movie Armageddon, the one where characters played by Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck fly to a massive asteroid, intending to blow it up before it hits Earth and wipes out humanity. Garan corrected the premise: if NASA ever launched such a mission, it wouldn’t need to blow anything up. The goal would simply be to use rocket thrust to “nudge” the asteroid a few degrees off its collision course. No pyrotechnics required. It’s less dramatic, but it honors the simple laws of physics in outer space.
In this week’s news coverage of America’s midterm elections, some commentators are framing the outcome with phrases like “complete repudiation” and “a strong rebuke to the Trump administration.” I think that’s overly dramatic, Hollywood-style framing. More accurately, I consider the midterms a meaningful nudge, hopefully pushing our government a few degrees off the trajectory it had been on.
When I cast my ballot this election cycle, I was thinking of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. I thought of the many Latino citizens whose daily lives were interrupted and intimidated by ICE agents violently demanding proof of their citizenship. I’m glad our soon-to-be-updated Congress will be more likely to fulfill its role as a check on the executive branch.
My vote came from a place of freedom, something I want for all of us.
Sunday Supper
Red Curry Chicken & Green Beans
Sunday Music
Esperanza Spalding, at the North Sea Jazz Fest
Martin Sexton, Kennedy Center Millenium Center
Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,