3 Points to Ponder
- A normal day can turn into a nightmare in a matter of hours. Where have you shown up in someone’s darkest hour in the past? Where has someone shown up in your life, and do they know how much that meant to you?
- Having a clear sense of purpose and strong values are essential for navigating difficult times. When was the last time you’ve done some deep soul work on your personal values?
- The Stockdale Paradox describes the value and difficulty of striking a balance between realism and optimism. It is confronting the brutal facts while maintaining an unwavering faith in the end game. This has been a lifesaver for me. How can you implement this thinking into your toolbox when facing difficult situations?
2 Quotes to Share
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran
“When we are at our weakest moments, there is something supporting us, some unforeseen strength within us.” – Martha Beck
1 Story of Impact
It was a normal Saturday morning on June 22 until the phone call. My district manager’s voice crackled with urgency: “Flooding in Spencer. Karmen says the store is underwater. They can’t get there.” A pit formed in my stomach. Floods were one thing, but this seemed to be a different beast. Panic sent me scrambling online. The images and videos that greeted me were horrifying. In just 24 hours, Spencer had transformed from a peaceful town to a disaster zone. A record-breaking downpour had unleashed a 500-year flood, engulfing entire neighborhoods by sunrise. Our store, once a place of life and commerce, stood surrounded by two feet of raging water. Surreal footage showed rescue boats navigating our submerged parking lot. The devastation was overwhelming. Officials compared the damage to hurricanes. Over 2,500 homes were damaged, a thousand more forever lost. Our store was a complete loss. We tossed out mountains of merchandise – clothes, furniture, fixtures, everything. It was catastrophic. Faced with such destruction, the question loomed: where do we even begin? The answer, I realized, lay in our foundation. Having a clear purpose and strong values are important, but it’s during the darkest moments that they become truly vital. It’s also about the people you surround yourself with and nurturing those 3 AM phone call relationships. These connections, built during good times, become lifelines in the face of tragedy. And they did come and will come in the future. The outpouring of support from our Many Hands community was heartwarming. I was reminded that we weren’t alone. We may be forever changed by this event, but the sun will rise again.
