Coat Rack in the back

One of the dangers of being back-stabbed by a close friend or co-worker is that you stop trusting people - in fact you can grow to dislike (even despise) people. This will often result result in isolation as you hide out from the world around you. This is unhealthy to say the least. I remember the first time I got back into the social scene after being shivved I felt the evening was a great success until I got home and realized I left my jacket at the party. I had a choice to make - I could isolate even deeper or I could find a way to use the knife in my back to be a help rather than a hindrance. Now I enter the soiree take off my jacket to reveal the tremendously metrosexual ensemble I have arrayed myself in and hang my jacket on the handle of the knife. Voila! No more digging through piles of jackets to find mine has been covered by someone trying to smuggle a pocketful limburger cheese out of the party.

Grocery Bagged

Let's face it your life is filled with enough frustration already there is no reason to allow grocery shopping to cap off an already gut-wrenching, soul-eating day. And yet it is increasingly becoming one more spirit robbing activity in your schedule. The local supermarket is constantly renaming or relocating the sections of the store you actually use. They have started charging you to use their carts and bags and it is only a matter of time that they follow the example of the airport and start hitting you with a beautification tax every time you walk out the door. The knife in the back that was lodged their by yet another Dutch Uncle talk with the boss that claims to have your back (of course he has your back how else is he going to lodge a shank hilt deep between your shoulder blades?!?) can be a source of more anxiety or it can be a source of relief - its your choice. With the extra arm of cold pressed stainless steel you can walk past the racks of three-wheeled, left lurching shopping carts and just load the bags up after you fill your hands up. That's right you save some money AND you don't have the bags so overloaded that the plastic stretches so thin it becomes garrote wire that threatens to amputate your fingers at the first knuckle before you can get to the car! See it all in reframing the situation and seeing the positives as well as the negatives!

Migwec,

Ehkosit!!!

Vespa

One of the draw backs to being knifed in the back is it is uncomfortable to drive a car because the handle digs into the seat. That is why I would suggest investing in a motorcycle or even Vespa. If you are anything like me you have all of the electronic gadgets (IPhone...check, PDA...check, Daytimer...Check) but you still rely on scraps of paper to jot down errands and quick lists. The benefit of a knife in the back is that you can get a package of small magnets and use the exposed blade as a mobile magnet board. It can be very tiring and inconvenient to lug your fridge around with you but a shank is just perfect for keeping your 'Honey-Do' list, 'food to pick up on the way home' list, church prayer chain and pictures of your Compassion child(ren) close at hand.

Migwec,

Ehkosit!!

Sombrero

Sometimes you just need to get away from a turmoil-filled workplace. Unfortunately, even though we are a thousand miles away from the source of the stress we carry the knife in our back with us. It can be the thing that ruins our vacation - constantly reminding us about what we left behind and what is waiting for us when we return. Or, if we learn to not only live with it but embrace it, the knife in the back can be the key to our best sunbathing ever! By purchasing a cheap souvenir/oversized sombrero you have the quickest and easiest parasol on the beach. Not to mention that the metal blade lets you know when you've had enough sun (if its hot to the touch you need to put the sombrero back up).

Migwec,

Ehkosit.

Knife as Swing

Just because you have spent the last 24 hours trying to pick up the emotional pieces after being blind-sided at a meeting doesn't excuse you from pulling your weight in raising the kids. With the infants swing from the backyard swingset (or local playground) and a simple Tugboat Hitch at the ends of the rope and you are set. If you are planning to sit and enjoy a warm beverage while checking your emails or possibly updating your resume, make sure you choose a stool or a low backed chair for the safety and comfort of yourself and Junior.

Migwec,

Ehkosit.

Leadership is learning to live with a knife in the back

Unless you are an ascetic monk living out a solo existence in some secluded location (or you bought Ted Kazinski's cabin on EBay) you have to interact with people. This means you have probably seen the darker side of humanity. If you are a leader in any capacity, at any level you will have been stabbed in the back. I used to have a boss that constantly assured me he would "go to Hell and back for me." I never doubted he would, but I always wanted to ask him if I whether I was getting a round trip ticket or was he just going to dispose of my body.

The first few times I was a victim of this I wanted to take steps to guarantee it wouldn't happen again. The longer I have been in leadership positions the more I realize that it is not something to be avoided. It is something to be expected and even more so to be embraced. It becomes an aikido approach to anger-management. Here are some of the ideas I had about living with a knife in your back, but first here is an old picture I did a while back (I'm sure I posted it before, but I can't remember when):