One of my favorite authors is Lynn Picknett. You may not have heard of her before but she has written many books on what might be called occult or hidden knowledge. She explores ideas that are ridiculed because they are uncomfortable. Along the way, she digs into hidden history and shares views that demonstrate the world is not always what it seems – and it is definitely not what we are told it is. 

I was reminded earlier this week that the Universe will always seek balance. On Monday, I received a very kind (and totally unexpected) email from a colleague thanking me for the volunteer work I do in the consultant community. It was a lovely surprise and much appreciated.

Many years ago, I developed what I call the “Three Things Rule.” While some people scoff at this and say “well, of course a CONSULTANT can do that but I’m on STAFF. I have many priorities and obligations.” To which I scoff back, “I developed this rule when I was on staff because I had many priorities and obligations.”

It’s May 1^st. That’s right: we are well into the second quarter of 2026. We call the first day of May “May Day” and this has many different meanings. 

Currently, we are talking about the amount of disruption in the world, the stress it is causing, the uncertainty that is impacting mental health, and we wonder why it seems everything is spinning out of control. I give this topic a lot of thought too, and as an amateur historian I look at the current situation on Planet Earth and compare it to past eras.

I was thinking the other day about when I first started working at the US Chamber of Commerce back in the late 1980s. I was an administrative assistant at the time, and I was standing at the fax machine sending a message to someone in Australia.

Marie Middleton was having a bad morning. Not only had she lost an account with PetSmart to sell her Purrfect Pants for Cats, but it seemed her volunteer leadership role was spiraling out of control. 

Bradley Hughes is the Chief Financial Officer at SOAP. He has served in this role for 3 years and receives consistently positive reviews. The staff feel he is approachable despite his sometimes awkward social skills. As an introvert, it can be difficult for Bradley to express himself, especially in pressured situations.

Anastasia Anderson, SOAP’s Chief Staff Executive (CSE), hung up the phone and sighed deeply. Her ear actually ached from all the screaming that Max Mayhem did during their conversation which had lasted for over 20 minutes. This was typical behavior for Max, always screaming that he was wronged in one or another. Despite being on the Board of Directors he does not think that any rules apply to him.

After recovering from his hangover the next day, Max Mayhem started scrolling through his email and texts. He was surprised that so many people asked how he was doing or feeling “after last night.” Although he couldn’t remember much, he did recall having fun and he thought everyone else did too.

Episode 1: The Friendly Board Member

Douglas “Dougie” Fitzsimmons is a long-time member of the Societal Organization Advancing Pants (SOAP). The association represents makers and sellers of pants of all kinds. Their membership includes individuals who make men’s pants, women’s pants, and pants for pets.

Navigating a decade referred to as the “Turbulent Twenties” presents multiple challenges. In an era of rapidly changing social, economic, and political tides, keeping your footing as you lead a Chamber of Commerce – or any organization – seems overwhelming on the best days and impossible on the worst days. 

Since I haven’t posted an article since January 30, 2026, it’s about time I sat down and shared some thoughts. Some weeks I don’t write because it’s a holiday, or there are deadlines for clients – it is never for a lack of ideas or topics.

Author’s note: I’m on the road this week speaking at a conference. The world is seeing a lot of tension so I thought this would be good food for thought. It’s a great follow up to my January 23, 2026 article, “The Imposition of Will.”

The world seems like it is something of a mess right now with fractured communities, tension on the global stage, and as global communications firm Edelman found, a trend toward insularity. As a student of history and sociology, and a political science major, for many years I thought that the conflict in the world was driven by competition for resources. It seemed to make sense as humans moved from nomadic tribes to small villages to big cities and national identities. 

We are well into January and there is so much to discuss! At least we won’t be at a loss for ideas for the blog this year. Like a kid in a candy store, there are so many ideas to choose from it’s hard for me to decide. Since I have to pick one for this week, my first blog article of 2026, I am going to write about an interesting conversation in one of the networking groups I belong to – the topic is MISSION.

When I was 5 years old, I lost both my front teeth at the same time; it made for a funny kindergarten school picture! At this time of year, I sometimes think of that old song “All I Want for Christmas are my Two Front Teeth.”

The world is always in a precarious position. In addition to all the mischief we make for ourselves here on Planet Earth, there is always the cosmic threat of some space item crashing into us and causing an Extinction Level Event. When it comes to external items that may hurt us, we also need to contend with all the space garbage we have created over the years falling through the atmosphere and smashing into something important – like us. 

While I love the internet and all the great things it does for us from connection to other people to access to information, I accept the fact that it is also a huge online shopping mall.

There is a step from our attached garage into our basement. It is one step that is about 7 inches tall. To give you some comparison, my iPhone is about 6 inches long. It really isn’t that high and I never really thought about it. I came in and out of the garage countless times never really paying attention to it – until last year when I sustained a tibial plateau fracture and couldn’t walk for about 4 months.