Communications Pro Blog

Archive for October, 2009

I’m riding on the quiet car on Amtrak, to get to Boston to spend some time with friends, celebrate her Birthday, and tour Salem on Halloween.  At first I thought I was on the quiet car, or the first car, but evidently I was not as someone hops on the train and starts yacking away two seats ahead of me – loudly.  I place a phone call and whisper to Krena that we are going to be a full two hours delayed, and that I wish I knew why, but nobody has said anything over the public address system.  However, I know that the PA system works because the conductor hollers every stop as if it were his last call.

I decide to head back to the quiet car.  A loud New Yorker tries to engage me in conversation about the train delay, but I put my index finger up to my lips to indicate that this is the quiet car.  She persists and finds a taker sitting in the aisle across from her.  They banter back and forth about the delay, and why his computer beeps every time the power goes off.  Finally, the man in the aisle across from me shuffles back to tell them that they are in the quiet car.  I am grateful that he took on the role of quiet car cop and give him a thumbs up.  Then I reach for my water bottle and it crinkles in my hand.  He stares my way but says nothing.  Then my cell phone, which is on vibrate goes off, and makes a bit of a vibrating noise.  Ugh…this is too stressful.  I decide to plug my headsets in and listen to Itunes and try to sleep, and just as I am fading out, I hear his newspaper crinkling, and the guy in front of me trying to open a bag of chips, quietly.  He is not successful, although he truly appears to be trying.

So my question to you is: How quiet must one be on the quiet car?  The sign says “Please refrain from loud talking or using cell phones in this car.” I let that be my guide. You?

Spot the blind horse teaches many lessons...

On Seeing Spot

It’s funny how stories sometimes just stare you in the face.  I was covering the first meeting of the Wissahickon Horse-Lovers Organization for Adults (WHOA) for the Chestnut Hill Local, and lo and behold, I find another story staring me in the face.  His name is Spot.  Actually, Spot wasn’t staring me in the face, because as I soon learned by reading the information posted on his stall, Spot is blind.

I jot down that Spot was born in the 1980s and served as a lesson horse for 20 years, taking riders over 3-foot fences, and allowing them to fulfill their passion.  Spot, the posting noted, has no single owner, and so the good folks at Northwestern Equestrian Facility are housing him and bearing much of the $500 monthly costs to keep him in food and board.  There is a small donation box outside of Spot’s stall.

I took a break from the meeting and fed Spot the carrots and apples I had brought.  I whispered to him that he was such a ‘good boy’ and thanked him for his service to the many riders he has carried carefully to their destination.

The next day I return to the stable with more carrots and apples.  There, I cornered the barn manager, who gives me a quote or two to use in the story about Spot.  I ask her if I can come visit Spot a couple of times a week, and maybe groom him and let him graze on the lush green grass that is just steps from his stall.  She sizes me up and agrees to this arrangement.

I don’t have the right shoes on, so I give Spot the goodies and vow to return the following morning with the appropriate footwear, and more apples and carrots for my newfound friend.

The barn manager tells me Spot is not depressed and as far as she can tell, has no issues with his lack of sight.  I’m glad.

I have been out of the saddle for more than a year now, having had a freak accident on a Philadelphia Saddle Club horse while riding with my Dad.  The accident gave me time to heal and write a book with my father, that I was able to self publish and present to him and family members for this 80^th Birthday last November.

If you would like to purchase a copy of the book, “A Cowboy Mission: The Best Sermons are Lived…Not Preached” I will donate half of the $10 to Spot.  It’s funny, because I just read a fabulous book called Homer’s Odyssey, about a woman who adopted a kitten who was blind at birth.  She shared the lessons that that kitten taught her in terms of building relationships and taking risks.  I suspect that Spot will have a lesson or two still left in him to share with me…and there is clearly a spot in my heart for Spot.

To make a donation directly to Spot, make checks payable to Northwestern Stables, 120 W Northwestern Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118-3620 and put Spot in the memo field.  To reach the author, go to http://www.CommunicationsPro.com for contact information.