Always Look on the Bright Side

I'll cut to the chase and describe my week at work as crappy. As part of my orientation, I was asked to co-facilitate a week-long workshop with a team at one of my organization's hospitals. From the team's perspective, they were asked to improve how patients move through the first few steps of a visit to an Emergency Department. My role was to teach, coach, and help them put in place ways to improve the experience for patients and they did a great job solving some complex issues. Healthcare gets a lot of press in the media these days, and working with staff on the front lines you see how the chaotic nature of healthcare leads to a patient experience that is less than ideal. These are folks doing their best to help patients on what may be the worst day of their lives, and they're working in a system that is best described as 'controlled chaos.' But I'd like to think my work helps those folks do their jobs easier by using their expertise to put in place changes that should help.

On a personal level, I like my work for two main reasons: 1) I have a hand in improving healthcare for all of you (and myself as well) and 2)I get to help teams work together to solve problems they've been wrestling with for some time. But this week I had a hard time appreciating those things about my work. I won't go in to a ton of detail, but I'll say that the working relationship with my co-facilitator and 'teacher' didn't exactly go perfectly. There were a few times during the week when I felt really crappy about how it was going, and although we had a chance to discuss some of the challenges it was a very uncomfortable experience. At the end of the week, we accomplished what we needed to with the team, I just wish it was a little smoother getting there.

So feeling a little down, I left work yesterday and turned on AM Sports Talk Radio, which has become my default coming to and from work. I know, very meatheady of me, but I love Chicago sports and 30 minutes in the car helps me get my finger on the pulse of the sports scene here in Chicago. During a commercial break, I hopped over to WGN-AM (radio home of the Cubs) and caught a bit by one of the DJs where listeners call in and describe what the "bright side" was of their week and it was exactly what I needed to snap life in to perspective.

In the background, you can hear the Monty Python "Always Look on the Bright Side" and it was really uplifting to hear everyday people call in and describe the little (and sometimes big) things they could be happy about. Having had very little to be upbeat about in my world, it gave me a nice pickup hearing about soldiers returning from war for the holidays, fun events people attended, and even shopping specials they found for holiday gifts. So maybe listing a few things I can be happy about will help some of you as well look at what's good in life, instead of what's not so good:

Brightside #1: My name is not Tiger Woods. I had a crappy week, but nothing in comparison to what is going on with he and his family. I'm an avid golfer, and pretty lukewarm about Tiger--mainly because I'm a big fan of underdogs and he never captured my heart. I certainly appreciate his talents, but wouldn't describe myself as a "fan." I don't need to recount the details of his week, but my challenges are nothing compared to what he's sorting through.

On a side note, I do have a minor conspiracy theory that some friends suggested I post, which is pure speculation on my part and not based on anything factual. In fact I feel creepy speculating on it, but it might merit some investigation if we really care about what happened that night. My guess is he and his wife got in to it physically the night of Thanksgiving and he was injured in the house during their encounter. They knew a domestic violence situation would be very ugly in the media, so the 'accident' was made up to make it seem like he wrecked his car rather than had his wife open up a can on him. Again, I'm not a policeman and don't know if that's got any weight, but it seems awfully fishy that he would run in to a fire hydrant, and a tree, and sustain an injury that led him to being passed out in the street. Chew on that one. Either way, I'm with Elin on this one. You go girl, and feel free to call me next time you're passing through Chicago and want to hang out.

Brightside #2: I got to a blackhawks game last night. There isn't much to be excited about in the Chicago sports scene these days. The Bears are a collosal disappointment, the Bulls are an average team, and the Cubs are sitting on the same roster they had at the end of last year's waste of a season. But the Blackhaws are HOT and the city is behind them after they revamped their marketing approach, got some exciting young talent, and a coach that knows what he's doing. I was a big hockey fan in high school and its nice to be following the sport once again. Yeah, I know that makes me a bandwagon jumper, but I really don't care. Winning is fun, and I'll support any Chicago sports team (outside of the White Sox). My official step on to the bandwagon was commemorated with the purchase of a blackhawks hat, with the coolest logo in professional sports.

Hockey is a sport that gets a bad wrap for being too rough, but it is actually a very peaceful sport to watch. There are very few whistles, and a really cool play in hockey is something special to watch. And Hawks games are unique for many reasons, but my favorite parts are:

-the national anthem (watch this to see what I'm talking about if you've never been...yes, they do this for every game although this was one of the most memorable renditions from the old Chicago Stadium)
-a really well-executed goal. Jonathan Toews, one of the Hawks young studs (and Pearl Jam fan...I saw him backstage earlier this summer with his crew) had an electrifying goal you can watch here.
-the crowd. Die Hard Hawks fans are a unique breed and very Chicago. Compared to the other 'die hards' in Chicago, they're just as charismatic and way tougher than any other fan base. Most of them wear jerseys and live and die with every possession, which I respect as an avid sports fan.
-the music during timeouts. If you populated a Venn diagram of Heavy Metal fans and Hockey fans you would find many in both groups, and as a lover of loud, obnoxious arena-rock I really dig the entertainment during hockey games....

Brightside #3: Annie getting to run along the lakefront. In addition to my week being crappy, Annie's was equally as bad. She had to wait nearly 14 hours between walks and really didn't get a chance to be much of a dog. Despite temps in the high 20's (remember, I have a policy on ADW not to bitch about weather) we headed out early Saturday morning to walk along the lakefront and take in some scenery. There are a few pictures in this album, and it was a really calm morning walking with Annie along Lake Michigan as we took in a skyline I yearned to see over the past few years. For Annie, I was happy to see her running in the leaves, mixing it up with a few other dogs, and being her usual goofball self. For me, it was a visual reminder of all the different places she and I have taken our morning walks since I've had her and how far both of us have come.

Brightside #4: I've been able to hang with many of my oldest friends at the end of a crappy week of work. That's not to say I didn't have great friends to hang with out in Seattle or elsewhere to chat about what's going on in life, but there's something very cool about hanging with your closest friends who can help keep what's important in its proper perspective.

Life isn't always about big 'events' to be happy or sad about and sometimes we've gotta remember the little things that put a smile on our face. For me, that's much easier said than done, but thanks to some radio karma I got that reminder I needed to always look on the bright side and hope you're doing the same....