It's A Small World After All...

It is 5:40pm as I write this blog from Heathrow Airport in London. So, if the time zone converter on my watch is correct, that would make it 11:40am in Racine. It is hard to believe that at this time yesterday, the Zambia Team was still in Wisconsin. In the past 24 hours, I have travelled from Milwaukee to Racine to Chicago by car, from Chicago to London by plane, and from Heathrow Airport to Westminster and back by underground train. (Somebody calculate the total mileage and post it as a response please.) I have had personal conversations with people from six different continents since checking in at O'Hare last night. It is indeed a Small World.



After we arrived at the airport last night, a few of us stopped to grab a bite to eat and a drink at one of the restaurants in the terminal. (Hey, why not? We had plenty of extra time thanks to Nancy Neill, Sue Walter, Debbie Morin, Bill Jankovich, and Naison Nyamatutu. Thanks for the ride to Chicago!) While relaxing in the restaurant, we struck up a conversation with a man named Madhukar Puniani. He is originally from New Delhi, India though he now lives in Toronto, Canada and travels to Indianapolis for work on a regular basis. Our discussion meandered, touching every topic from the annual festivals in India to the way that various wheat beers are filtered (this guy was pretty bright.)



Somehow, the topic of storage came up. (Like I said, our discussion meandered...) Madhukar is preparing to buy a house in Indianapolis, and I believe someone on our team advised that he consider the amount of storage space his new home would offer in terms of garages, sheds, and basements. He seemed a bit surprised that storage space would even be an important factor in his decision. (Of course, for us that is an obvious consideration. Storage is an immenent concern in most of our Little Worlds. Click here.) "Of course you need storage space," someone from our team interjected, "How else could you have winter and summer stuff like snowblowers and lawnmowers?"



"Well, how does the rest of the world do it?" he asked. (Or rather, he stated. The inflection of his voice did not seem to indicate any puzzlement on his part.)



My time on this pay-as-you-go airport internet kiosk is about to expire. (Note to Jim Parrish: I will not filling out an expense reimbursement request for this. I have a tough enough time with those without having to convert from pounds to dollars.) But I hope that we will all dwell a bit on Madhukar's question-- and if I may reframe it: What might happen if the reality of our Small World would rush into my Little World? What implications might that have for all the time, energy, and resources I spend managing my Little World-- when those resources are more readily available to the rest of the Small World than ever before?



Peace,

Matt