Where's your "Route 14?"
Taking time to slow down and take in the scenery.
"You've gotta keep lookin' for your own Route 14," Floyd Ringer's voice whispered inside my head. While I have numerous great stories about Floyd, “Route 14” remains my favorite.
It’s been some forty-plus years since I first heard it. Floyd was a Scout leader, a mentor, and an inspiration for me and thousands of other youth in Kansas.
About a year before Floyd’s death, we reconnected, enjoying a long-distance call and hoping we would see one another on my next trip home. The in-person visit never came.
So, the Route 14 story starts with Floyd and “Mother” (none of us ever knew Mrs. Ringer's First Name) on a trip through the Southwest. They were motoring through Albuquerque one afternoon, heading East on I-40, trying to catch I-25 North to Santa Fe. The intersection (affectionately called the Mixmaster now) was confusing, to say the least, for this Kansas couple.
"We were in the far left lane of six and needed to be in the far right," Floyd recalled. With the speed of the other cars and the lack of good signs it was impossible to make the turn as he had planned.
Several minutes later, when Floyd was finally able to exit, he found himself on Route 14. He checked the map, and, sure enough, the road would get him and “Mother" headed North. About 100 yards up the road, a sign assured that they were on the "Scenic Route to Santa Fe."
"When life puts you in the far left lane, and you want to exit...just hang in there. You'll come to your own Route 14 soon enough."
A retired stage manager and maintenance man, Floyd's simple lessons stick with me even now....or perhaps especially now. Floyd knew governors and bank presidents, panhandlers and stagehands—and treated them all just about the same. His simple and straightforward manner would be refreshing, whether on Wall Street or Washington Square. I would bet that I can almost predict the reminders he'd share to slow me down:
1.) Life's never as hard as we make it. Floyd had a way of reminding me that I did not have to take everything so seriously, especially myself.
2.) Only you know when you've done your best, and in the end, that's all that really matters.
3.) Always leave the woodpile higher than when you found it. And, of course...
4.) Look for your own Route 14. It'll show up for you, you just have to keep your eyes open and recognize it.
Floyd's words seem both simplistic and distant, yet they could well be the key for us all during this time of heightened stress. We seem to be expected to juggle multiple priorities and take on expanded duties with decreased staff.
As leaders who communicate (and communicators who lead), Floyd’s lessons are crucial to embrace. In fact, that’s precisely what I’m doing this week. I’m unplugging to spend a week at MEA’s new Santa Fe campus, exploring Falling Upward with the one and only Fr. Richard Rohr. If you don’t know his work, take a “detour” and check out some of his amazing writing.
Where's your Route 14? What will it take to find the exit and spend just a moment on the slower “Scenic Route” this week?
JD’s Recommendations: what I’m reading, hearing, and seeing:
Reading: Wes Kao’s great newsletter answers the question: How do you reduce cognitive load for your reader?
Hearing: I just finished the audiobook Stopping Traffic: Thunderstruck by a Stroke, a Broken Heart, and Bankruptcy. Paul Hufstedler’s vivid memoir style is a gift indeed.
Seeing: I am delighted to share the playlist of the six talks from Discovery: Answering the Call to Authenticity. Each of these six speakers answers that prompt in their own unique and compelling way. ENJOY! Watch for more to come soon.
Happy to share what’s lighting me up, but welcome your thoughts, too. Let me know what you are reading, hearing, or seeing. May you enjoy a restful week.
As always, jds
PS: For full transparency, Floyd’s story was born in the 1970s and appeared in my column at NYU’s Stern School in 2001. I’m recycling it today because, you guessed it, I’m not far from Route 14 at the MEA Santa Fe campus.