The Full Story of
It was sometime in 2006 when I began to notice a scattered pattern of checking the time at exactly 12:06 in the afternoon. Noting my birth date of December 6th, it seemed nothing more than an interesting coincidence at first. It wasn't long before 1206 started appearing in additional forms, no longer exclusive to the time of day or night.
I would be driving in the morning with a school bus in the distance ahead of me before closing the gap of space without effort or intention only to find the bus number to be 1206. I recall being at a fuel pump one time, my mind flowing between past accounts of my day and the future activities of the approaching weekend before glancing at the speeding gas volume display at the exact moment that 12 gallons, 6 ounces flipped by. I have countless, additional examples; whether it was a tv timeout at the 12:06 mark of an Ohio State Buckeye football game (O-H!!!), or a high school baseball score ending in 12-6, or even in receipt of a "wrong number" call with 126 somewhere obediently aligned in order within the 10 digits. It seemed the more I noticed the "coincidence," the more it occurred!
Sometime early in my relationship with my wife, Linda, I told her about this strange phenomenon and explained that I was really beginning to think it was some kind of sign, but for what and for why, I hadn't the slightest clue. Her response was one of the many, many, MANY times in our relationship that I instantly fell deeper in love with this amazing human and her beautiful mind. After intently listening to my many curious encounters with 1206 and 126, without skipping a beat Linda looked at me and said, "Maybe it's your dad letting you know he's with you." ...🤯... If I thought I had been seeing the digits of my birth date at an accelerating rate prior to this conversation with Linda Mae, I was about to be blown away with what The Universe had in store for me!
What does this have to do with program consultation,
facilitation, and development?
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Empowering Growth
and Authentic Connections
What does this have to do with program consultation, facilitation, and development?
Not a whole lot - that is, if you are only considering the surface. Holding a genuine belief in my heart that my constant encounter with 126/1206 is my father's energy steadily reminding me that he is with me is comforting. It provides me an opportunity to celebrate his presence, guidance, encouragement, and love, even though his physical existence rapidly, yet thankfully in a peaceful way, left the physical world on May 21, 2002.
I believe we are experiencing the greatest human connection deficit of this lifetime. Time teaches us that society cycles through changes in the human condition: there will likely always be periods of war followed by periods of peace; plummeting/thriving economies will appear, disappear, then eventually reappear; one political party will have control, and then another will take it over - and so the song plays on. Yet, often with the threat/hope of change comes discord, fear, and uncertainty.
I also believe that positive human connection is a basic, yet profound need. Advances in technology continue to astound us with unconscionable ways to interact with others from all over the world! Social media has provided a means for being in the know of the goings on of numerous people we encounter throughout our lives. We see the good, the bad, and stuff we can't unsee, no mater how much we'd like to! At the end of the day I avow that there is absolutely no substitute for in-person, direct, share-physical-space-together, human-to-human interaction! I believe in my soul that both of my parents, as well as multiple other loved ones who've passed, are with me, guiding me every single day. And as comforting as that is anyone who has experienced the heartbreak of loss can attest that it is just not the same as having the physical, tangible presence of those precious beings in our world.
Communication, understanding, listening, laughing, and connecting are at the very center of what Dynamic 126 aims to achieve in working with teams, groups, and organizations. Through engaging activities, meaningful discussion prompts, opportunities for empowerment and moments of self-reflection we call, "Reflection 5's", Dynamic 126 will provide a series of workshops tailored to the needs of the individuals and groups within an organization.
For more information on how Dynamic 126 can support the specific needs of your team(s), please reach out through the "Contact" tab at the top of the page. Opportunities for growth and learning are everywhere and it would be an honor to grow and learn along side of you and your teammates!
The Prequel
Growing up an only child, I was most certainly "a Daddy's Girl." While I was very close with my mother, as well, it was my Dad who provided the fun, the laughter, the stability, the lessons, the catching, throwing, car maintenance, opportunities for problem solving, and so on. I knew I was adopted from an early age and I have to say that it was actually my mom who hit it out of the park on that Saturday morning when I learned this news. Although I have no memory of why it came up, I vividly remember randomly asking my mother during one of our weekly Saturday morning couch cuddle chats, “Mommy, am I adopted?” After a brief pause, she answered my seemingly unprompted question. “Yes honey, you are adopted.” Not understanding the magnitude of this information I had just received I innocently replied, “What’s that?” Through all of the differences and emotional turbulence my mother and I faced in my 49 years before she passed, looking back, I could not be prouder and more humbled by her response to this unexpected, potentially life-altering moment. “It means that we wanted you extra badly and that we love you even more than you can imagine because of how lucky we are to have you.” She went on to explain, in words I do not fully remember, that I didn’t come from her belly but that I came from another woman’s belly because she could not grow a baby in her own belly. Like most five-year-olds, I am sure I asked about thirty-six questions then, with no smooth segue nor merely even an attempt at one, moved on to more important, pressing topics like, wanting french toast for breakfast or, wondering if our cat and our new puppy, Heidi, would ever get married. As I grew older I came to understand “adoption” without knowing any details of my specific story. This is quite common, as most adoptions were closed back when I was born. This means that the birth mother (and father, if involved) are completely closed off from having contact with their adopted child and the adoptive parents. I was certainly curious – mostly about my birth mother, but at times I wondered about my birth father, too. I wondered where and who I came from. What were they like? Are they married with children of their own? What if I had a brother or a sister? Why did they choose to give me up? Do I look or act like either of them? Are they even still alive? These were all fleeting thoughts that ebbed and flowed with no real understanding or burning desire to truly acknowledge actually wanting answers to my questions…until Dec. 6th, 1988.