06 Mar 2017 CAUSE & EFFECT: Pushing the Tube Up the Mountain Together
If people watching were an official sport, I am fairly certain I could be a contender for the Olympic team or championship game.
Wherever I go I look for opportunities to observe people and their behaviors. I often say I am listening, but many times I am watching to see what I can learn about others.
Most recently my people watching training took me out of state to a land full of mountains and snow.
One of my favorite people watching moments in these wintery conditions is taking in a couple hours of snow-tubing. This entails tubers of all ages pushing an inflated rubber tube up a snowy hill to the top and then riding it full speed to the bottom.
Pushing the tube up the mountain is nothing short of a monumental task. Your feet slip, it’s cold, and a tube big enough to ride is just awkward to maneuver.
Kids are the best to watch because the tube is about twice their size, but they are relentless in getting that chariot up the slope because they know the joy of the exhilarating ride to the bottom.
In an afternoon of tubing, the riders will repeat this ritual over and over. But I have noticed some people are more willing to push the tube up the hill than others.
It seems to be some sort of return on investment proposition based on the satisfaction of the ride down. In my casual observations tenacity is increased when others are there to help or share in the journey. Groups tubing together will help fellow travelers when the tube gets too cumbersome, and in some cases they will work together to get one tube up the hill and then ride down together.
In every case, the journey is never easy.
A few weeks ago when I was feeling a bit discouraged about a tough journey of my own and was worried about keeping our Southwest Florida Community Foundation team engaged and energized a colleague shared a story she sometimes conveys to her team.
This woman is a trailblazer who I admire and she has successfully launched several community projects that many thought impossible, so I knew she had some sage advice.
Interestingly it also involved a snow laden scenario. Not of pushing a tube up a hill, but instead a snowball. She says she often thinks of her projects and community movements as snowballs that are being pushed up a mountain. At the beginning many people will gather around to help push but when things get tough some fall away. She keeps her team and volunteers motivated by painting the picture of what will happen once they reach the top of the mountain.
Whatever size snowball they have could roll to the summit; the minute they push it over the other side of the mountain it will gain momentum. It will pick up speed, size and people who want to be involved. But none of that happens without finding a way to get to the top with the people who are willing to go with you.
Over the last few months I have read, watched and been inspired by the profiles of the News Press People of the Year nominees and recipients. These are fellow residents who have accomplished amazing things over the past year. As my friend shared her story I realized that everyone featured had pushed their own proverbial snowballs up some pretty steep mountains.
Overcoming health issues, human trafficking, business challenges, being under the microscope of the public eye, or finding their way as a next generation leader. Each story has both its snowball up the mountain and down the mountain moment (You can still find the stories by clicking here).
At the Southwest Florida Community Foundation we also have the great honor and privilege of supporting nonprofit organizations of all sizes and missions in our region. I see these teams working hard to tackle issues facing the environment, poverty, education, animals, the arts, health and safety, and community development. They work hard but they need the support of our region. Just like the tubers who ride in groups, the journey up hill is always better when taken together.
So what snowball or tube are you trying to push up the hill? Or who could you help up the mountain? Whichever it is, remember the ride down is worth it and as a semi-pro people (and their causes) watcher, I can’t wait to see what happens next.
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Foundation partners with individuals, families and corporations who have created over 400 philanthropic funds. Thanks to them, last year the Foundation invested $5 million in grants and programs to the community. With assets of $93 million, the Community Foundation has provided more than $67 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Foundation is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County’s Sustainability Plan. Based in Fort Myers, the Foundation has satellite offices located in Sanibel Island, LaBelle (Hendry County), and downtown Fort Myers. For more information, visit www.FloridaCommunity.com or call 239-274-5900.