Enjoying Each Other's Company

 Enjoying Each Other's Company

Photo by: David Shankbo

It was announced this week that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have agreed to host the Golden Globe Awards television broadcast for the next two years.  Now, admittedly, that's not the biggest news of the week.  The federal government reboot and debt ceiling Band-Aid took that title.

But the news about Tina and Amy does relate.  Here's how.

Healthy people have healthy relationships.  That covers physical, emotional, and mental health, by the way.  Tina and Amy, from their earliest days learning improvisational comedy, through their years together on Saturday Night Live, and on to their careers in series television and movies, simply enjoy each other's company.  They're friends and confidants to each other.  They have a strong, healthy, fun relationship - and it shows.  We enjoy watching them have a good time together.

And the outgrowth of that relationship dynamic has turned into lucrative careers for the two comediennes.  Good for them.

The denizens of D.C. could take a lesson from Tina and Amy.  The recent stalemate over debt and default, healthcare and closed national monuments, has brought the lack of healthy relationships into sharper focus than ever among our political leadership.

NBC host Chris Matthews, in fact, has written a book, "Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked," remembering how President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O'Neill (for whom Matthews worked as a staff member) were able to disagree and fight tooth-and-nail over policy - yet ultimately come to resolution and compromise for the good of the country. 

This happened because the two seasoned politicians knew the value of and maintained a personal relationship, and refused to be enslaved by a daily diet of continuous confrontation, accusation, and stalemate.

From the glamor of Hollywood, to the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and across kitchen tables from sea to shining sea, it all comes down to relationships.  When they are healthy, so are we.

Be Well,

~Eric

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Photo by: Prayudi Hartono

Jimmy wanted to pitch when the gang decided to play a pickup game of baseball.  Problem was, so did Bobby.

"I'm a better pitcher than you'll ever be," Jimmy shouted in Bobby's face. 

"Oh, yeah?" Bobby retorted.   "Well, everybody else thinks you stink and you should be out in right field.  Waaaay out in right field, where you can't mess anything up."

"YOU ought to stay in the dugout - better yet, why don't you just go home and cry to your Mommy?" Jimmy sneered.

The two boys taunted, insulted, and irritated each other to the point where they ended up rolling around on the infield dirt, fighting each other over who would pitch.

After a few minutes of this, the other kids just walked away.  The baseball game never got off the ground.

It doesn't take much thought to parley this little story into the real-life slugfest in Washington, DC, which has led to a shutdown of the federal government.  But, just as true as it would be for adolescent boys on a ball field, these grownup fisticuffs should be every bit as avoidable.

All it takes is a willingness to understand where you're coming from, where the other person is coming from, and a path to get to where you're going together.  The world is built on relationships.  Relationships are built on respect, listening, applied knowledge, and compromise.

This ain't rocket science, folks. It's proven time and again in history.  And, best of all, it's contained within our own DNA, our conscience.

If they'd just talked with each other, instead of at each other, Jimmy could have pitched the first few innings, and Bobby the last.  They both would have gotten what they wanted and the game could have been played.  

Dialogue proves maturity, growth, and progress.  Since when did dialogue become a bad word?  Our leaders in Washington - are you listening?

Be Well,
Eric