Today is Kelly Ortberg’s first day as CEO of Boeing. He’s already winning praise – for his work location.

Ortberg has decided he will work out of Boeing’s offices in Seattle, which had been the company’s home for its first 85 years before it moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago in 2001.

The new CEO said in a memo to staff Thursday that he decided to work 2,300 miles from the company’s current corporate offices in Arlington, Virginia, to help restore trust in the company’s commercial aircraft business.

“Because what we do is complex, I firmly believe that we need to get closer to the production lines and development programs across the company,” Ortberg said in the letter.

“I plan to be based in Seattle so that I can be close to the commercial airplane programs.”

Ortberg said he’d be on the factory floor today. (New York CNN)

I don’t have an opinion on Boeing, but I DO HAVE AN OPINION ON CEO’S.

They often get lost in the daily politics of HQ.

So, all CEO’S must be close to the ACTION!

If not today, when?

We’re driving to Chicago to visit my sick brother.

As you may know, in Chicago, the traffic is stop and go, bumper to bumper.

We were driving in an underpass.

We were in 4 lanes of traffic with a lane merging into our lane.

There was a tiny island between the lanes.

On that island stood a little girl standing alone and waving to us.

She was about 9 years old and was begging for money.

I was shocked and couldn’t believe she was all alone in that dangerous location.

The traffic pushed us past her in an instant and she still haunts me three days later.

Our first reaction would logically be, “Where are her parents?”

Of course I dn’t know the answer to that question.

Here’s my question, “Are we compassionate?”

Are we concerned about the plight of the poor?

Do we reach out to the less fortunate?

If not today, when?

30% of Americans aged 18 to 34 say they are lonely every day or several times a week.

Single adults are twice as likely as married adults to say they have been lonely on a weekly basis.

Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.

Is there a co-worker, neighbor or church member whom you could reach out to? There are so many lonely people looking for friendship and you can be the one who initiates it.

What is the worst thing that could happen? You invite someone for coffee and they say, “no thank you.” It is their loss.

Go on to the next person. Eventually someone will gladly take you up on your offer. Yes it takes a certain amount of courage but look at it this way.

You are the one doing the good deed. You are the person reaching out. You are solving your loneliness issue by enriching your circle of people who want to spend time together.

You won’t regret it.

My wife was standing in the line at the meat counter in our grocery store. She heard a woman saying she was buying meat for herself because she would be alone during the holidays.

My wife introduced herself and asked the woman if she would like to join us on Christmas Eve.

The woman said, “I am Jewish but I would love to come.” She came and was delightful. She brought a large box of candy which endeared her to everyone! She invited my wife out to lunch later that month and she became a friend.

Try it. More than once if you need to. Within no time you will have new friends of your choosing and people to add to your circle of life.

Loneliness goodbye!

The importance of adequate hydration is essential for good health.

We need to drink 2 to 3 quarts of water or water-based drinks per day.

Hear are the benefits:

Carries nutrients & oxygen to all cells in the body

Helps convert food into energy

Lubricates joints

Regulates body temperature

Moistens oxygen for breathing

Essential for our senses to work properly.

(Texas Health & Human Services)

(Henry Ford)

I think we can safely assume that Henry Ford had some failures on the road to success.

He was obviously an entrepreneur (risk taker).

I have experienced that it’s better to try and fail than to never have tried at all.

Living with the regrets of never trying always stay with you.

So, if you’ve had a recent failure, “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again!”

If not today, when?

According to a 2023 study from finance website WalletHub, 25% of Americans say it’s worth going into debt for a good vacation.

The majority of those going into debt do so by charging travel expenses on a credit card, with 20% of respondents saying they would rather skip a credit card payment and put the money toward a vacation.

Elizabeth Currid-Halkett is the author of The Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class and a professor of public policy at the University of Southern California.

She believes that the current trend of travel moving from “optional” to “priority” began during the financial crisis in the 2000s and spiked after the pandemic.

“We wouldn’t have been able to predict it.

The way the pandemic affected different generations in different ways.

But the idea that our friends matter, living life matters, how important living a good life is – that has led to a change in how people spend their money.

“When you’re young, you don’t have money to shift into another area.

But you can say, ‘I’ll think about this later and live my best life right now.’” (CNN)

It sounds like a new point-of-view for a new generation!

Tucked away in the mountainous highlands of Chiapas in southern Mexico, around 150 coffee farmers on the Edelmann family farm work with their hands for hours on end.

The shade of tree canopies is the only barrier between their bodies and the summer sun.

Tomas Edelmann, a fourth-generation coffee farmer and vice president of the international Coffee Farmer’s Co-op, told CNN that their shade-grown method of producing coffee is more drought-resistant.

A longer-than-normal dry season, he blames on climate change, still caused crops to suffer this year.

“If you don’t have the right weather, you will not have the right production.”

“And with low yields, obviously your cost of production goes up.” (CNN)

(Nelson Mandela)

It’s appropriate that our title comes from Nelson Mandela.

After many years spent in prison, he became president of South Africa.

Are you satisfied with your life?

If so, you should be a happy person.

If not, are you willing to consider other life choices?

Understand that a decision to go in a different direction will be difficult.

But, nothing worthwhile is easy.

Maybe you already know the path you’d like to take.

In either case, you must consider the effect on loved ones.

Be careful and do your homework.

If not today, when?

We bought a unique bird feeder just to attract Baltimore Orioles.

It has a littlt cup on the feeder filled with grape jelly.

Sure enough, The Baltimore Orioles began stop by for some jelly.

Slowly, sparrows began eating the grape jelly too.

My research tells me that grape jelly isn’t a food source that normally attracts sparrows.

But, THEY HAVE ADAPTED.

CAN WE?

There are many changes going on in our world.

Among them, our society is becoming more confrontational.

Each of us can reduce this by being KIND to people we meet each day.

I may be askiing you to leave your comfort zone.

Can we adapt?

If not today, when?

I think most people equate generosity with a wealthy person.

Luke 12:48
“To whom much has been given, much will be required.”

This includes a person who has various talents, wealth, knowledge or time.

Each of us has something we can share.

These are all gifts that can be shared with another.

Generosity is not just about money. That’s easy if you have it.

The giving of your talent, knowledge or time are actually more difficult to give.

Do you have something of value you can share with someone in need?

Remember, it is in giving that we receive.

If not today, when?