Black Panther – Walk Into the Future

Black History is 365!

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life”.

(Muhammad Ali)

Another Black History month has come and gone.

What did you do to commemorate the great things you learned during past Black History months? How did your community or work organization celebrate the one month out of the year set aside to highlight Black History?

Yes, I am happy we get a month to showcase the great things black people have done and celebrate things we are currently doing. This year just seems a bit subdued—it could be because of COVID-19 but it seems the month flew by and not much was celebrated. I saw a few spots on TV discussing Black History month and the importance of remembering the past but nothing really jumped out at me as a highlight. I hope the country did not go into a shell because of the insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021. Just a thought!

My Black History month moment came as a complete surprise to me. I saw an Instagram story from my niece Jayla that read: So sad, none of this is taught in school.

Look at the list below and tell me how many of these things you knew were invented by a black person:

Product	Inventor	Date
Air Conditioning Unit	Frederick M. Jones	1949
Almanac	Benjamin Banneker	1791
Auto Cut off switch	Granville T. Woods	1839
Auto Fishing Device	George Cook	1899
Baby Buggy	William H. Richardson	1889
Biscuit Cutter	Alexander P. Ashbourne	1875
Blood Plasma Bag	Charles Drew	1945
Clothes Dryer	George T. Sampson	1971
Curtain Rod Support	William S. Grant	1896
Door Knob	Osbourn Dorsey	1878
Door Stop	Osbourn Dorsey	1878
Elevator	Alexander Miles	1867
Fire Escape Ladder	Joseph W. Winters	1878
Fire Extinguisher	Thomas Marshall	1872
Folding Chair	Nathaniel Alexander	1911
Gas Mask	Garrett Morgan	1914
Golf Tee	George T. Grant	1899
Ice Cream Scoop	Alfred L. Cralle	1897
Ironing Board	Sarah Boone	1887
Lantern	Michael C. Harvey	1884
Mail Box	Paul L. Downing	1891
Peanut Butter	George W. Carver	1896
Pencil Sharpener	John L. Love	1897
Spark Plug	Edmond Berger	1839
Stethoscope	Thomas A. Carrington	1876
Straightening Comb	Madam C. J. Walker	1905
Street Sweeper	Charles B. Brooks	1890
Thermostat Control	Frederick M. Jones	1960
Traffic Light	Garrett Morgan	1923
Tricycle	Matthew A. Cherry	1886

I pride myself in knowing history but could only match three inventions to inventors:

Traffic light (Garret Morgan)
Straightening comb (Madame C. J. Walker)
Peanut butter (George Washington Carver)

Everything else on this list was brand new to me. How can this be? We are taught a modified version of history in school. It is completely one sided and it appears we are supposed to learn as much as possible in February so we can get back to the regularly scheduled history program. Imagine growing up in a country that shares tidbits of your history—how would you feel when you finally discover great things were being kept from you?

I waited for February to end before diving into Black History to extend the conversation. Yes, I am happy to have a month dedicated to my history but as you can see from the list above, we need more time. How can someone invent the elevator in 1867 and we have no knowledge of this fact? I apologize, maybe it is just me with no knowledge of this fact, but my point is this was a MAJOR invention, but we do not pay homage to Alexander Miles. Truth be told, I never heard his name before. How is that possible? Thanks to Sarah Boone I can iron my clothes daily, so I have a pressed look at work. Imagine how we would look if she did not invent the ironing board? How would the mailman deliver your mail without Paul L. Downing? I am sure most people in the world still use some version of the mailbox.

So, Black History Month is over, but your lessons do not have to stop. I encourage you to continue to seek out Black History and share with others. We all have a lot to learn—let’s get to it! 😊

What did you learn during Black History month? How do you plan to keep the conversation going? Thanks!

“If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go”.(James Baldwin)

Racing (again) into the future

Race Time

“Running is alone time that let’s my brain unspool the tangles that build up over days”.

(Rob Haneisen)

I entered 2020 with an aggressive goal to expand my running tourist role and travel to new locations for Rock N Roll Half marathon races. Started the year with a goal to run seven half marathons in the series along with a few local 5k and 10k races for speed work.

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down and we are still trying to get a handle on what normal daily actions look like now. FYI—I understand there are more important things in the world than me traveling America and running on city streets.

My last official race was a 5k on March 14, 2020 in Tallahassee. We were just getting a better understanding of how bad COVID-19 was at the time, but the event organizers took extra precautions but did not cancel the race. I remember the event was small with maybe 70 runners at the start line. We practiced physical distancing at the start line and gave everyone extra space just to be safe. There were no face masks present because the U.S. government told us there was nothing to worry about at that time. Now we know different, huh?

Fast forward to October 24, 2020 and I was back at a 5k starting line, but we all had on face masks. Physical distancing and masks were mandated to participate in this event. We could take the masks off once we began to run and had to put them back on once the race was over. Happy to report everyone complied and I felt safe while waiting my turn to start the race. The race organizers used a digital chip timer, so our times were synced based on our on-course performance instead of when we started. Example: I was the 60^th runner to start but this did not impact where I placed because my time was synced directly to my performance not when I started.

I was extremely happy to be back on a race course with other people around. I love my training runs because I view running as my form of therapy but cannot make myself run fast without others around. It may be a mental block or simply a lack of motivation, but I run faster when other people are around. Think I just need to see people ahead of me to force myself to try to catch them.

I was able to slowly reel in runners during my 5k event. I wanted to post a good time but did not want to go out too fast and die a slow death on the backend of the race.

My first mile was a controlled 8:28 pace and I felt good with the pace. The second mile was a bit slower at 9:35 but still controlled considering I did no speed work or 5k training prior to showing up. Decided to maintain a level of control for the third mile and recorded 9:23 and felt comfortable at this pace. Finished with a little kick to see if I had anything left in the tank—crossed the finish line at 28:38 which is a minute slower than my race in March. To put that in context I was in full half marathon training mode in March so to run this fast without proper training is a good sign for me. May not be a good sign for my friends who run since we all know I can go faster. No pressure! 😊

I am happy with my performance and the ability to maintain my speed throughout the race. I went ahead and signed up for the OUC Half Marathon in Orlando on December 5, 2020. My original goal was to run in San Antonio in December, but COVID-19 has made an adjustment to my race schedule. The OUC race will have a staggered start and require face masks before and after the race. I feel comfortable with this process since I just completed a 5k with the same parameters. Looks like this is the new normal if we are going to see races again. It was not hard to practice physical distancing prior to racing so I will look for additional races to get my competitive fix again. Look forward to running in downtown Orlando again in December. Hope to catch up with friends while in town and enjoy being back in a great city.

So, I am racing again and enjoying every moment! Will not take racing for granted in this COVID-19 world.

What have you been able to do again safely in this COVID-19 world? What are you looking forward to?

Thanks!

Total miles in 2020: 982.77! 😊

“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they have a second”.

(William James)

Superhero work is tough but worth every minute!

boy child clouds kid — Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

“There is a superhero in all of us, we just need the courage to put on the cape”.

(Superman)

Who knew saving the world would be so tough? Note: I’m enjoying every minute of it!

My current Walk into the Future allows me maximum flexibility on projects I decide to tackle. Leveraging my why daily provides a foundation to ensure I’m getting things done the right way.

Got a request to help a local high school student find renewed focus and create a schedule to enhance academic success. I never ventured towards this demographic since my work with college students and experienced professionals fits my areas of interest. I didn’t accept the request initially because I didn’t see how I could help. My excuses were:

Not familiar with high school curriculum
Two parent home provides enough guidance
- Why would a high school student listen to me and not parents?
My personal bias towards education
Not invested in this process

Well, once I got out of my own way and viewed this as another opportunity to help someone succeed regardless of grade level, the obvious choice was to put on my cape and shiny boots and get down to what true superheroes do—save the world! 😊

Decided to leverage the MBTI with my new tree branch and parents to determine a communication pattern in the household. The MBTIs were extremely close, and this gave me additional information to begin our meeting. Discussed the implications of the MBTI results and how we could leverage this information to create an action plan for success.

Next, we discussed ways to bring a more organized approach to studying and getting assignments completed. I thought this would have been an area that would create a level of resistance but was pleasantly surprised with the overall buy-in. I didn’t create the organizational approach but suggested some things I thought would work; consistent study times, area, length and scheduled breaks. I let the family discuss and recorded highlights so we could follow-up; wanted to ensure the family took responsibility for the learning outcomes with me serving as their resident superhero (guide).

We were able to create a study schedule with predetermined breaks and a stated commitment from everyone to abide by this schedule. Adjustments can be made as needed, but we need a consistent team effort to make this work for everyone. Again, they agreed to the parameters and we moved forward as a unified group.

The commitment was further verified when they ask me when they should follow-up with me for a progress report. I wasn’t going to push this aspect but believe this shows a new level of progress and willingness to put the work in for success. We agreed to have follow-up sessions in two-week increments based on assignment due dates. The follow-up sessions allow us to adjust as needed or provide an opportunity to praise progress.

“Life doesn’t give us purpose. We give life purpose”.

(The Flash)

Happy to report this process allowed me to stay true to my why: to impact people in a positive way to leave them better than when I found them.

Doesn’t really matter if it’s a high school student, experienced professional or a random person on the street. Superheroes save the world regardless of how hard it may seem.

“You don’t need to be strong like a superhero, you just need to be better than yesterday”.

(Spiderman)

Okay, enough superhero talk—need to take this cape off and my boots are hurting me feet! Tomorrow’s another day! 😊

Who can you be a superhero to today? What would stop you from helping?

“Wakanda Forever.”

(Black Panther)

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