March 20, 2017
Moore Mission Moments - The Watershed Group

MARCH MADNESS

by Patti Moore

 

March is the teasing harbinger of spring, when the saying “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb” could easily be flipped by the fickle weather. March was the month of my brother’s birthday, which meant a party on or about the 24th.  March, a transition month from the solid cold of February to the dancing colors of April, can start out quiet, then suddenly, BANG!  You are picking up the pieces from the storm. And then…March is gone. Madness, really. 

 

In my hometown of Gainesville, Florida, March is madness for another reason; it’s round ball, college hoops time! There is madness in the air and it is not due to the weather. It goes without saying that I’m a fan – it’s practically a civic duty – but one team in particular holds a special place in my heart; the Gator Boys of 2006. 

 

Back in ‘06, our team was made up of a bunch of kids who loved to play the game of basketball.  They were a scattered bunch of fellows, some with famous fathers, and some from meager financial backgrounds.  But they played with enthusiasm, with a sense of fun of the game; they played for each other. This was refreshing for us fans who had seen so many players whose goal on the court was mostly to showcase themselves for the pros. We’d even had a high school recruit who was drafted into the NBA before his first day of college classes!

 

But these boys, the “Gator Boys” - they were different.  They smiled and hugged when they won.  Some of them wanted to get their University of Florida diplomas, rather than passing through the team like a revolving door on their way to the pros. We didn’t expect much from them and figured that the 2005-2006 season would be a “learning” year; “Just go out there and have fun,” we thought; “Win a few games and play your hearts out”: no awards, no TV attention, just good old college basketball played by young men who enjoyed the game and one another and their coach and their families and the University they were attending.

 

John Havlicek, the famous professional basketball player, said, “There is no limit to what a team of people can achieve when no one cares who gets the credit”.  This team didn’t really care who got the credit.  Four of the starters were roommates and trusted and loved one another.  The other starter was a humble 3-point shooter from Tennessee who had come to UF because his dream school, the University of Tennessee, didn’t want him. 

 

None of them seemed to care if it was Corey Brewer who had the big night or if Al Horford had the “double-double” or if Jokim Noah had any dunks or if Lee Humphrey didn’t make a “3”.  They did care about each other and whether or not their performance would be good enough to support their teammates’ efforts to win the game.

 

I learned a lot from those young men. They played for the fun of it, they played from their hearts, they played for the honor of their school, they played for each other…and they won, big; UF's first ever NCAA College Basketball National Championship. They created madness in the Gator Nation in March that year with their enthusiasm, their passion for what they were doing and their understanding that, while it is only a game, when played with such concentration and teamwork it is also a thing of beauty. 

 

Those Gator Boys came back the next year for another victory at the championship; several of them turned down multimillion-dollar contracts to return, because they understood that you couldn’t buy what they had together; a team of people who played for the love of the game and didn’t really care who got the credit. 

 

What couldn’t your team achieve, if they worked the way those boys played – toward a common goal, looking out for each other, for the love of what they’re doing – and with no thought as to who got the credit? Let March remind you of the potential for greatness that abides in that mindset, and lead you to lead others to embrace it, year ‘round.

 

 Go Gators! Patti with Albert and Alberta

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WORTH READING/ WORTH WATCHING:

 

WHAT FINALLY MATTERS MOST? MEANING. What matters most profoundly to those nearing the end of their lives?  The answer may surprise you: “The psychiatrist William Breitbart lives at the edge of life and death. As chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Breitbart specializes in end-of-life care for terminally ill cancer patients. For many of his patients, the most pressing question isn’t when they’ll die or how painful death will be. Rather, it’s what makes life meaningful. They are in search of a meaning that cannot be destroyed by death.”

 

WHEN YOU’RE FEELING OVERWHELMED…you may have Compassion fatigue; if you work in hospice or palliative care, it’s a daily challenge not to let it overwhelm you. Here, Patricia Smith offers some insightful and practical ideas for managing compassion fatigue in caregiving in this excellent TedX talk, a must-watch for anyone who works with the dying or manages/leads those who do.

 

TREE PEOPLE – THEY’RE EVERYWHERE…My essay about my beloved fallen tree really resonated with a lot of people - thanks for sharing your tree stories with me! A reader wrote, "I have enjoyed your e-messages.  Your reference to tree poetry reminded me of this Maya Angelou poem which you may already be familiar with.  I used it last year at the end of my father’s eulogy."

 …and he shared this lovely spoken-word version of the poem. Listen and enjoy.

 

Judy MacDonald Johnston shares 5 practices for planning for a good end of life:

This thoughtful and engaging TEDTalk on preparing for the end of life is a must-see for anyone engaged in our work

 
 
CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES:

TIDEWELL HOSPICE IS GROWING!  Representatives from Tidewell Hospice and Willis Smith Construction joined local business and government leaders for a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday at the site of the Lakewood Ranch Hospice House. The new facility represents Tidewell Hospice’s commitment to grow alongside the thriving Lakewood Ranch community, providing unparalleled end-of-life care in the immediate and long-term future.

 

“Because of all that Lakewood Ranch has to offer, the area is growing at an amazing rate,” Tidewell President and CEO Gerry Radford said. “This new facility represents Tidewell Hospice’s commitment to serving that growth by offering a healthcare facility that the community deserves and needs...”

 

THE SHARIN’ OF THE GREEN AT GILCHRIST  Break out your green party clothes, Gilchrist Hospice is celebrating St. Paddy’s Day! Please join them for their 8th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Bash, “Sharin’ of the Green” Friday, March 17, 2017 at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville, Maryland. Featuring food, beer and wine, and dancing, it’s a benefit for the Paul J. Kelley Jr. Charitable Foundation, Inc. with proceeds going towards Gilchrist Hospice Care’s first inpatient facility in Howard County. 

 

3RD ANNUAL WELCOME HOME VIETNAM VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION

Hospice of the Chesapeake presents their 3rd Annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration. The theme of this year's program is "Warriors Remembered." A special event has been planned to honor our Vietnam Veterans, thank them for their service, and provide them with a long overdue Welcome Home. For additional information and to obtain tickets, click on the link above.

 

 
 
MEET PATTI:

Every leader needs to take time to fill their own cup, and I am doing just that this month. I attended Brendon Burchard's High Performance Academy last week, learning the best practices of high performers so I can better serve my clients, community, family and self. It was an amazing experience!  This week I’ll be in Gainesville, Georgia working with a client. At end of the month, I’m going on retreat at River Cove to work with my own coach. 

 

Don't forget, If you’d like to know more, check out my podcasts here – THE MISSION STRATEGIST- on hospice, management, and the future of hospice, among many topics. You can even subscribe to my ITunes Channel!

 

Take a listen to my short podcasts

 
 
 
A MOMENT OF PEACE:
Pause, take a breath, smile and enjoy the early morning moon-set at our RiverCove Retreat Center
 
 
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