After Memorial Day my wife and I flew to Edinburgh (joined by her girlfriend) for a week long drive up into the Highlands.
We had many eye-opening experiences, here a couple that you may find interesting and insightful:
Driving in Scotland is Not Easy.
In Scotland you drive on the left, and it took all my concentration.
I could not look away for a second otherwise I might drive off the narrow roads.
Trucks full of timber and tourist busses were powering full speed coming from the other direction. Scary.
(And some of the secondary roads were single track. Crazy.)
I realized the roads “felt“ narrower than they actually were. It took me a week to get comfortable.
It’s a good reminder when someone new comes to your company (or church, or any organization) that they can initially feel out of sorts, even if it’s a totally normal situation.
Question: Where do you have an opportunity to make someone’s new entry more comfortable in their first week?
A Fresh Look at an Old Relationship.
My wife was feeling carefree with her girlfriend joining us. She was in high spirits, letting loose, and having a blast. She showed a side of herself I had not noticed in a while.
As she interacted with her friend, I got to experience her in a new light.
That was a gift for me, because after 25 years it’s easy to get too comfortable in a relationship and possibly in a rut.
Question: Who (or what) have you taken for granted?
You Need to See/Hear For Yourself.
The starkness of the Scottish Highland mountains were breathtaking. They were covered with grass from top to bottom, and looked surreal.
Before we traveled I was thinking this part of the trip might be boring, but I was clearly wrong.
This is why its important to travel and experience things for ourselves, and form firsthand opinions.
It was hard – but fun – to speak with the English and Scottish locals. They talked in the thickest of accents. Everyone we met had different life experiences.
They are just like us, yet completely different.
Question: Who could you get to know more personally to build a bridge?My wife does this with the indigent beggars in our town, taking time to learn their names and backstories. She sees their humanity and tries to understand their needs (one person she has met has no need for food, but needs clean sheets, etc.)
Old Style Can Be Better.
I stopped in London on my way home, and I was reminded how draft (draught) beer got its name, because it’s stored in the cellar and then drawn up by working the handle.
This English beer (Bitters) is not freezing, not over bubbly and not pasteurized. It’s good!
Question: What’s something valuable you did in the past in your business or personal life, that you have let drop to the wayside?
Below are a couple fun photos of the trip.
Summer is almost here, enjoy.
Regards, Jeffrey Scott!
Visiting our first Scottish castle (the Eilean Donan, in the background).
Our view from our hotel on the Isle of Skye. That mountain is mostly grass.
Corine and her friend enjoying the sun drenched hike in Glen Coe, Scotland.
(This was a grueling hike straight up and down, my feet were crying by the time we finished.)
I went to London to visit an old friend who lives in a houseboat on the river Thames. He took me to this “old” pub (Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese) on Fleet Street, last renovated in 1667. The beer and food was excellent – if you like Kidneys and Chips.
Walking through London we stopped into the Modern Tate, a free museum along the river.
I am told these Scottish mountains turn purple in the summer, as the heather changes color. We had a wonderful time, and hope to return one day.
