‘Twas The Holiday Season

By Mike MacPherson, President and CEO
‘Twas the holiday season two thousand eighteen
And the years been a bit stranger than others we’ve seen.
Turn in any direction and all you see is unrest.
Suggesting the year wasn’t one of the best.

Yet we here at Freedom have been plugging along
Serving our community and still growing strong.
I sat planning in my office snuggled up in a sweater
Racking my brain to try and make things a little bit better.

When suddenly outside I heard such a clatter,
I leapt to my feet to see what was the matter.
I raced from my desk and up to the window
But I spied not at thing up above or below.

Then what, in amazement, should suddenly appear
But a man dressed in red, his face full of fear.
He hung from the roof grasping what appeared to be garland
And he struggled to speak as he grew more disheartened.

He bellowed, “please let me in or else I will fall”
I said, “But these windows are solid. They don’t open at all”.
“Hold on tight”, I exclaimed. “I’ll come to your aid”
And I flew out the doors on my noble crusade.

I had no ladder, no mattress or cushions
But it was only two stories and there were plenty of bushes
I said. “Drop on down. I’ll guide you to safety”.
A bold statement for sure cuz the man was quite weighty.

I gave him a nod and he smiled with glee
But I misjudged the wind and he landed on me.
For someone so large it didn’t hurt like you’d think
And he popped to his feet with a chuckle and wink.

He laughed, and he jiggled, and I knew right away
That it was Santa himself that squashed me this day.
I said, “Santa, what happened? Why are you here?”
“And what caused you to dangle from my rooftop this year?”

Santa said, “My controls went crazy with a fizzle and a poof
Then I plummeted through the air and crashed on your roof.
It seems all the bad weather and atmospheric disturbance,
Means my sleigh needs an upgrade with some extra deterrence.”

I said, “Freedom has many members from military and business
That can respond to assist with efficiency and quickness.”
So we reached out to our members and contacts far and wide.
To see who would help out and be by Santa’s side.

When the word went out about poor Santa’s wreck
Help came in droves with the latest materials and tech.
The sleigh was upgraded with Vibranium, trans warp accelerator,
Given a TARDIS infusion then paired with a PU-36 space modulator.

Santa sighed with relief knowing he’d soon be back to his activities
And his sleigh could now handle anything that might stop his deliveries.
Not a surprise since credit unions and members understand
The importance of community and how to lend a helping hand.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Santa said, “for all that you’ve done.
You’ve all been so caring and helpful, each and every one.
You really came through in my time of desperation
And showed that a credit union is not just some faceless corporation.”

When all the work was complete, and the time had drawn near
Santa boarded his sleigh and threw her into gear.
Then we heard him exclaim, as he left a vapor trail in the night,
“Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night.”

A Dream Within A Dream

Did you ever have one of those dreams that screws up your mood and has the potential to ruin your whole day? Not a scary dream; those are easy because you wake up and see there is no clown at the foot of your bed holding a chainsaw and an artichoke. You get scared, realize you’re safe and move on. Sure your heart is pounding, but it’s over. No, I mean the ones where you wake up heart broken, feeling like you got punched in the gut and wishing you could get back into the dream because it was so much better than reality. Those are tougher to shake off because at the core they are more real; conjured by an experience, a thought, something that triggers a memory or unfulfilled desire. There is a part of you that exits in that dream and in real life making the separation of the two more difficult and the options for dealing with it more challenging. When something upsets you, real or imagined, it can be difficult to get past right away until you can isolate the cause and find the right way to respond.

In life, in business, we don’t always have the luxury of reacting the way we want when something troubles us. We have to temper our feelings, maybe even push them aside and measure our response as we try to understand the why so we can cope, move on and accomplish our objectives. I choose to believe most people’s intentions are good and their goal isn’t to upset, but just like we don’t go to bed expecting to have a dream that makes us feel bad, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. We can be unpredictable and unaware sometimes of how our actions or words are perceived. We insinuate or say things that fail to properly clarify our intent and can have multiple interpretations. This can be a result of poor communication skills or an overzealous nature to accomplish a goal. There may be times when an individual need becomes the priority clouding the judgment and closing the ears to different perspectives and needs. Likewise, problems can be the result of our own preconceived ideas or a past experience that we, or someone we know, had. The important thing is to simply recognize these possibilities and realize that each conversation, contact, communication, is a chance to build, or rebuild, relationships and create an environment of mutual respect.

So, before we send an email, have a conversation, or post on social media, we need to consider our intent, ultimate objective and how the message will be received. A daunting task I know, but let me put it into context. When I put together an article like this I start days in advance with an idea. I start writing, trying to convey a thought, but all the way up until I hit “send” I’m editing, changing, rewording, etc. in hopes that the real meaning comes across and not something unintended. I try to craft something impactful, but broad enough to show that the ideas expressed apply to us all from time to time. It may not always work, but as long as the effort is there, I am content. I’m not saying it should take days to send someone an email or to write out a script before making a call. All I’m saying is be cognizant about the impact your words and their delivery can have. Make sure the why is clear and that all aspects, especially when you’re part of a group with varying backgrounds, are considered with equal weight. This doesn’t mean every decision reached or action taken will be loved by all, but if the communication is clear, if other points of view are considered and if the why is explained, we reduce the potential negativity that can otherwise result and hold us back from reaching our potential.

Mike

The Choices We Make

My mom used to always say, “everything happens for a reason”. Man that used to bug me. I mean, it’s a good way to look at life, but it sure isn’t easy to just sit back with a la-de-da attitude when life is crashing down around you. In that moment, it’s very hard to see the purpose or the “big picture”. You can think of so many things that happen and ask yourself; Why does this happen? What possible good is there in this? I can’t answer that. No one can really. Maybe it isn’t even about finding a reason. Perhaps it’s more about believing, trusting, that some greater good will come, that there is a method to the madness. It’s a way to stay sane.

Here’s the thing though. Whether it be big issues or something smaller, we can make a difference in the effect they have on us and others. Seriously. It’s completely possible for humans to have a positive impact on each other and the world around us. We just don’t. We make the choice to do or not do. We can give $10 to charity or buy a pizza. We can save energy or waste it. We can help or ignore. We can forgive or hold a grudge. It’s all about choices. Now nobody is saying you have to be perfect all the time. That you have to give every penny you have to charity or donate all your food to a shelter. What I’m saying is, just make a difference some times. Of course, it goes beyond those tangible things we think about when we are trying to do good or help others. It can be how we treat people or what we say. It can come from out of the blue and have an impact you may never see. After all, it’s not about the recognition or the tax write-off, it’s the why behind it all.

This past July I went to visit my daughter and on a whim I decided to take her to the Magic Kingdom for a day. I was in Florida, Mickey was only two hours away; how could I not. What was I thinking! Disney, in July, 100 degrees and wall to wall people. Anyway, we were waiting in line for a ride and I noticed this guy appear in various places. When I first noticed him he was several people behind me, then he was ahead, further and further, in different spots. He had a backpack that looked empty and was constantly looking around. There were a couple things that went through my mind and as the line moved, ever so slowly, I kept an eye on him. Finally, the line wrapped in such a way (you know how they do) that even though he was well ahead of me in line he was close in proximity and I had an unobstructed view. He looked around nervously as he approached a trash can. It was next to him, but ahead in the line with a chain dividing the two. He pretended to throw something away and stepped over the chain cutting ahead, once again, of a number of people who had been sweltering in the line for almost an hour. Don’t ask me why, but I started making my way over, leaned up against the wall next to him and said, “Whatcha doin?” He was surprised. Huh?”, he said. I said, “Why are you jumping line?” He said. “I’m not. I’m just holding a place for family.” “Dude”, I said, “you were behind me and I watched you cut the line 5 times. Do you think that’s fair to all these people, all these kids? It’s the Little Mermaid ride!” He said, “People have been doing it to me all day.” I leaned in, looked him in the eye and said, “So? Be better than them. You can be better than them.” His head dropped and he said, “Yea, you’re right.” Well I don’t know if he meant it, but his demeanor changed and I didn’t see him cut the rest of the time. It may have made no difference to him, but it made a difference to me, my daughter, and to a few people around me that were surprised I didn’t get killed.

Taking action, any action, to improve the world around us is everyone’s responsibility. This is why Freedom has chosen to have a community outreach initiative. The littlest thing, the smallest amount of money, the simplest act of kindness, the right word at the right time can make a difference both big and small. You won’t necessarily see buildings erected in our name, we probably won’t be on the cover of Time magazine, we won’t be cutting a check for a million dollar donation, but we will always do what we can, where we can because it’s not about the what, it’s about the why. I may never approach a stranger in line again, but I will find ways to make a difference or stand up for others. You may not be able to give money to a cause, but you can spend a couple hours cleaning a park or take a couple cans of soup to a food bank. You never know who the action will help, what child you will feed or how it will be paid forward in the future.

You can be the voice, you can make a difference; at your job, in your home, in your community. That’s what we mean by our Mission Statement that reads: “Freedom’s mission is to be a trusted partner by creating a culture of people helping people that meets the needs of our members and the communities we serve.” Join us. Be part of it. Belong to something special.

Mike