A Day in the Life, (Borrowed)

I read the news today. Oh boy. About picket lines in sunny Saskatchewan. And though the news was rather sad, well I just had to wonder . . .

I saw the future today.  Oh boy.  We are about to be a "have" province.  The economy is growing and there is hope for the future.  We have an opportunity to redefine Saskatchewan as a place to live, work and raise a family. The question is, what does that province look like? Can it be sustainable into the future?

Home is where the heart is.  I was born in Regina, educated, and raised my children here with the exception of three life - changing years in Calgary, where I worked the key desk at Alberta Mortgage and Housing in 1981 after the market in Alberta crashed and people could not afford their homes.

It was heartbreaking and devastating to see people break down and give up their homes.  I will never forget the image of a bike left behind. That experience was one of the reasons that we decided to live in Saskatchewan and raise our family here. However, for the first time in my Saskatchewan lifetime, housing is no longer affordable for low to middle income families.

Having a job is what every family is concerned about.  With the price and availability of housing, families are working to pay mortgages beyond the measure of two full time incomes.  The price of my first house (albeit a 750 square foot duplex) was $36,000.  Today, a first house will cost approximately $200,000.

When I look at those prices, I wonder how someone starting out can afford that.  I also wonder if we have the jobs in our province to sustain this kind of price tag.  If we want people to live and thrive in Saskatchewan, we need a plan that takes us into the future, rather than one that will force people out of our province as soon as other job opportunities present themselves in other provinces.

That brings me to education and the mind trust of the next generation.  Education is not just about books and curriculum. A good teacher is one that lives in your head and heart throughout your life.  Education is about providing our children and young adults with an experience that prepares them to be our leaders, our policy makers, and our workers.

Health care is the last pillar that defines us a a province.   There are no words to express what this means to a  family or person in crisis.  It's difficult to put a price tag on compassion or a person's life.

I see the writing on the wall today. Oh boy. Crowds of people have something to say. This summer, before the fall. It is no wonder then that people have something to say.

http://www.leaderpost.com/business/summer+pickets+Saskatchewan/4897830/story.html

There is no "no". Just "how".

Recently I have been working on a new business idea.  My goal is to bring the best of me to my clients, so that I can deliver mind altering, life shattering, ground shifting ... whatever. The name of this company is "Lynear Thinking".  The truth is, Lynear Thinking has been active since . . .1961.  Lynear Thinking is me.

Here's how it all began.

I was born a small bald child in Regina Saskatchewan. Apparently I was breach and backwards, if that's possible.  My mother says I have been a challenge all my life. My mother tells me that I was, at times, a screaming daddy's girl who generally wanted what ever I wanted.  She tells me I am the one in a million child. If something is going to happen, it will be me.  I have rejected the word "no" most of my life. I remember thinking "We will see about that" whenever someone would say  no to me.  I also remember being difficult and defiant, as all small children are.

Through my school years, I became silently compliant. I was ridiculously shy, to the point where I would pray the teacher would not talk to me or ask me a question. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to be invisible, and I was for a long time.  In kindergarten I remember my teacher scolding me for working during a play time. Granted, I was creating a purple cardboard phone, but apparently that was the art project and not "fun".  I still don't get it.  Over my school years, I recessed into the background. Looking back, very few teachers with the exception of 3 were in any way interesting or engaging. The rest of my teachers were what I later came to understand as brown ducks.

This is not a sad story. When one is invisible, one learns to look at things as an outsider. Without realizing it, I was acquiring keen observation skills that would serve me well as an adult.

As a child who lived in my thoughts, I kept journals and wrote poems and songs late at night in bed, under cover with a flash light.  I never shared my duo tangs and stories with anyone.  I developed a love for writing and telling stories. My hero was John Lennon. I fact, I remember the day he died - I said to myself, I want to be a writer. I want to tell stories that will move people. I want to write songs that create memories.

I set out to be a writer, studying English at the University of Regina, and then Journalism.  I remember sitting on the stage at convocation thinking, now what.  Since then, I have been committed to writing whatever it is that needs to be written. I have been committed to moving people to action with words. I have been committed to recording our time together on this earth.

Enter Lynear Thinking.  This is not just a name - it is a perspective.  It represents my personal philosophy that "no" is not an answer. One should ask "how?".  It reflects my belief that we are all the CEO of our own lives and that we have a responsibility to be creative, energetic and optimistic about everything we do.

Lynear Thinking is about creating a vision that others can see and want to reach too.  Lynear Thinking is about being authentic.  Creative. Effervescent. Brave. Resourceful. Flexible and adaptable.

One person described me as a "pink flamingo in a brown duck pond."  And yes, I have learned how to speak the language of the linear thinking, rule based individual. I accredit this set of skills to being raised by an accountant / banker.  I appreciate and understand the need for this type of approach.  I have acquired the ability to package non linear concepts into linear formats that linear thinkers can understand.  As a pink flamingo, I must control my effervescence from time to time, because it can be misconstrued as "flighty."

Pink Flamingos are not often appreciated for their zest and zeal because the Brown Duck is not comfortable with this. One brown duck asked me to reserve any color for the final document because it is just dressing after all.  I did not bother to explain that changes in colors and fonts are designed to help bring attention to information in a purposeful way.

But as the song goes, I gotta be me. I was born kicking and screaming, upside down and backwards. I was not born to follow the path. I was born to create the path.  I was born with a brain, and a creative soul. and the power of words. I was born to tell stories and help create connections. I was born not to placate but to question. I was born not to accept what is but to explore what is next.

So here I am at another threshold in my life and I continue to be who I was the day I was born.  Sometimes I don't fit in.  Sometimes I scare people. Sometimes I am a force of nature.  That's OK.

So now I am about to launch the next version of Lynear Thinking to help businesses connect with their markets. That helps community groups tell their story and garner support to do the good things they do. Lynear Thinking is not for the faint of heart. It is for those who have a desire to do something important and significant with their time and talent. Lynear Thinking is about changing from what we are to what we can be. Lynear Thinking is about doing what's important, exploring new ground and discovering other ways of thinking.