We were into our second week of touring Europe with the kids. I realized that with Amie 12, the “family” would be in a different place within 6 years. We had set about driving through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and were this day somewhere in Germany. Driving to find a good place to park, we had wandered off the beaten path, and remember this was with PAPER maps… and got onto a very small road that kept getting narrower, and narrower… when I started to notice that people were walking around near us, looking at us funny.. when it hit me… We were driving through a park….
I circled this week back in March. As I have commented before, there were 2 motivations to do these posts. First, it started from talking about “mistakes” – better said, much of the music you know and love is not “perfect”. And second, it kept me from writing about politics. My deep research in high school into our political system offers me lots of insights that are…not that helpful. So this week I knew I needed something that would keep me WAY away from anything remotely current to what is happening. And, also something that would allow me to play the real Court Jester role that I so enjoy. And if you think that Fun is not a good topic for leadership, well – I hope by the end of this week you will see that employees are people too, and they need to have fun at work.
There are so many groups I could use for the week that embody Fun, and in trying to tour around music styles, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a band that never takes itself too seriously, even when tackling some serious topics. Formed in the 90’s outside of Sacramento, they list as influences Country music, Hip Hop, Iranian folk music, Rock, Funk, and Mariachi… how is that for American? Oh and their singer doesn’t actually sing – he mostly talks. You have probably heard at least one of their songs, but beyond that, my hope is you will enjoy their quirky mix that clearly demonstrates they at leas are having Fun, and if you aren’t, well that’s on you 😉
Parenting is the ultimate long lead project. You do things and make decisions over the period of 20 years that you hope work out well for those in your charge. And along the way, there are so many places that may or may not have been Fun at the time, but looking back, always bring a smile, particularly now that you see them as adults, having “Fun” of their own. It is similar to leadership where now I have the great Fun to work with a number of leaders who I have known for more than 20 years, and see some of the things we worked on being passed on to their team. And those memories are sharpest when they were Fun or Funny 😉
We were in North Carolina for Halloween, and I am happy to report that it was mostly normal – people with small children in great costumes out having Fun. There were lots of smiles, and lots of care being taken to make it both safe and fun. In playing games with my granddaughter, I noticed she enjoyed things the most when she was in “control” – or at least thought she was. A great leadership lesson – how can we equip those around us to both learn and have Fun as they develop. You will move on, and those lessons that are the most Fun are the most lasting I think… so what is your map for Fun.. and can it go The Distance.
