TimbukTOO Team Room

[PJM]

Team TimbukTOO's Team room is now closed...

[damselfly]

Pat, whatever the cause of this, please, please don't take it personally. Do what you have to do for your own health, sanity, and spiritual wellness, whatever that may be. But whatever the cause of this... this... whatever... on the part of other people, it is NOT about you. It's about them, their actions, and reactions, their desires and idiosyncrasies. It's their business how they behave.

You are a good, positive, and nurturing person, regardless of what others do. Just know that.

[barbbesal]

Hi, everyone,

Pat, I just want to let you know what an outstanding and motivating leader you have been for me. I know I've been in and out of rowing for a few years, but since Thanksgiving this year, I've really put my effort into rowing almost every day. One of the things that has kept me coming back is this forum -- it's not the numbers; I really don't care whether my name is posted, and that's not what I look for. It's about the camaraderie and lifting spirit this team has... mostly because of you! Thank you for keeping me motivated (whether or not you knew it). I'm so sorry your feelings have been hurt. I can't think of anyone who deserves that less than you.

Thanks for everything. Cheers.

-Barb

[goyo]

Pat,
I appreciate the time, motivation and spirit you've given to our team. Your support helped me get my "boat" moving many times and I can't imagine a January team challenge without you. Thank you, Captain!

"Help your sister's boat across the water, and yours too will reach the other side." - Eric Hoffer

[Izzzmeister]

Pat,
You're still my inspiration - please hang in there and Captain us until we understand WHY.
We will bounce back even higher!
Izzz

[Izzzmeister]

Okay, Crew, this is your non-Captain speaking!
First, some clarity:
1) Team TimbukTOO will continue. Too much time and energy were put in by both Pat & Jim to just let it wither.

2) The problem isn't people not caring enough about this team. The problem is people caring TOO MUCH about this team.

3) Captaining a team takes a lot of time and energy. If, after putting in all that time & energy, you see people not taking the team seriously, it's very painful.

4) Just as anybody is free to join the team any time they choose, similarly they are free to leave the team any time they want. We respect both those decisions.
Here's the counter-balance: The main reason we join a team is to be part of something "bigger than us" - people that are responsible to us as a team, and that we are responsible to as well. Over the years, many millions of meters were rowed in dreary rooms by under-motivated and tired rowers because "We don't want to let TimbukTOO down" or "We can catch up to 'ducks in a row' if we just do 125K each of the next few days." Each person that leaves unties the knot a bit, each person that joins lifts us all up.

5) Right now, there are a few people that are feeling upset. From everything I can see, nobody "tried" or "wanted" to hurt anybody else - but a few people are feeling hurt. Because we don't want a "patch-up peace" but a true reconciliation with a real repair for each broken bridge, we need to give people time to feel, process, communicate, and truly understand. You who are hurt - please take the time you need... we want you to be true, deep friends when this is over.


Knowing the high quality of the people involved, I'm confident that they will work this out, and relatively quickly. For the next week (except Saturdays - I don't do Saturdays, they're my Sabbath), I'll keep up the stats as best I can.
And if there are any other people with hurt feelings, please let me know, and I'll try to help and respond. In the meantime, youTOO are valuable to TimbukTOO!

[Izzzmeister]

Here is the list of all those who have completed the Holiday Challenge (as of 10PM Eastern), thereby raising money for water-based charities:
200K+ Honor Board
John Staerk 363,166
David Welch 221,403

100K+ Honor Board
Yisroel Homnick 192,085
Steven Campbell 174,820
Matthew Robertson 134,433
Joseph Wyatt 122,435
Jamie Brewer 121,097
Raymond Wright 110,839
Dennis B. Horvath 108,614
Gary Glauberman 107,633
E Lynne Fitzmorris 101,871 You made it!
Jeff Smolen 100,000

Sneaking up are Everett (96,459m), Glenn Y (88,396) and Andrew (77,340)!
Adaptive rowers? Please sign up for the 50K Honor Board!

[Izzzmeister]

TimbukTOOians:
I "captured" your meters as of 8:15PM EST. Pat, our past and future Captain, last posted meters at 3AM the night before. So, if you put up meters between those 2 times, please e-mail me so that I can credit you properly.
(And since I'm having a hard time figuring out how to put up graphics, if you see something moving in any of my messages, please get your eyes checked!)

[damselfly]

Thanks to Izzy for stepping in -- I think this makes you "first mate", no? I hope this team continues. If I can help out, please let me know.

[Izzzmeister]

Thanks, Lisa! Hope I don't remind too many women of their First Mate! I'd rather help each Damsel Fly!

[garygOP]

I am confused by the recent posts- I hope my simple question did not precipitate what followed.
To me, this is all about the rowing- this virtual team is for assistance and virtual camaraderie.
It's lonely in that boat sometimes.
I am going to keep on rowing and continue here- provided there remains a here, here.

Leading the team appears to be a lot of work.
It also appears to produce some stress- I know it would be stressful for me to feel obligated to post team members meters every day-
Stress is unhealthy.- and the purpose of the rowing is to promote good health.
So if leading the team produces stress- then the heck with leading.

Pat- you were doing a great job- but if the cost to you is the stress you are feeling- then thanks for all you did- and you are doing the best thing for yourself if stepping away from the leadership role relieves that stress.
I appreciate the work that the team leaders do, but not if it is at the cost of health or happiness.
Thanks to Izzie for stepping up.
I still think there is land on the horizon and I am going to row just a bit more - maybe I can reach that land by sundown.

[Izzzmeister]

Gary, thanks for hanging on! Yes, there's land up ahead, but I'm afraid it's the Bronx.
Yes, there have been some misunderstandings, some of which came from your question, my private e-mail questions, and the questions of others. Pat, trying to be sensitive to the adaptive rowers, didn't indicate that the 50K list was for Adaptive Rowers only. So, for example I, not knowing this, stepped in it by asking why Jim K, with 300K+ was on the 50K board, and rehabbing wife Bobbie with 56K, wasn't. You, nearing 100K, wondered why you weren't at least on the 50K list. Others asked other questions. This forced Pat to try to tiptoe through the minefield, and her toe grazed a mine. She had to write things that answered one person's question while working to not offend the next one.
So far, everything I have seen and heard from both sides is registering a Zero on the Malice Meter - but a 9 on the Emotional Pain Meter. So, it looks like we need to understand what the other person meant, and what the other person felt, and express how sorry we are that hurt resulted from our well-meaning words & actions. (It's worth waiting a few days for the rawness of the feelings to diminish.)

WARNING: DEEP THOUGHTS AHEAD!!! Personally, this is the Izzy Take on Life: We are all Souls/Minds and are given a body & brain to try to express it. We all can't fully express the true depths of our Souls & Minds, but we use words and actions to attempt to do so. One person may be limited by not having a limb, another by not having good focusing abilities, another by not being able to find the right words. We're all Adaptive, yet we're all capable of accomplishing G-d's plan for us. My mind hurdle may be ADD, and my body hurdle may be diabetes - wouldn't it be silly to look down on someone else because their hurdles are different?
BOTTOM LINE: For the next week, under the Izzy Statistical Regime, we'll be calling the 50K Honor Board the Adaptive Board, we'll still honor and celebrate all of those who have the courage and wisdom to at least "get into the game" and row.
Let's settle this row, then sit and row!

[Izzzmeister]

JVC2011 Adds TimbukTWO As Port Of Call!
Yes, TimbukTOOians will participate in January's Virtual Challenge, as we have yearly! We have put up a new team called "TimbukTWO, Pat's", and the Captain's chair will be kept warm by my more-ample posterior until she gets her scrawny butt over there!
So, please go to your Teams Page, pick us as your Virtual Team, & separately (yeah, that's how it works) sign up for the JVC!

[goyo]

Go Team! Stay in the boat and row, row, row!


Those sharks are inactivity trying to eat you alive. Keep Rowing!

[damselfly]

Handy movie-to-meters conversion factor #1: Avatar = 29119 meters.