HOME    text version of navigation bar

Go to Plan B

FROM
Break Out: Finding Freedom
When You Don't Quite Fit The Mold
James R. Hasse

"There is a moment of difficulty and danger at which flattery and falsehood
can no longer deceive, and simplicity itself can no longer be misled."

Junius

All of a sudden I had chocolate milk all over my face. It shot right into my bifocals and started dripping down my shirt into my lap.

I could feel it in my nostrils and went into a brief panic. I was drowning. I tried to take a breath and, instead, let out a long, loud snort.

I took off my glasses and grabbed some paper toweling to wipe off my red face, blue shirt, crimson tie and navy suit pants.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, trying to express my regret that such a stupid thing should happen during an executive staff meeting in which we were trying to finalize our contingency plans for the upcoming year.

"That's OK," the president replied for the whole group of six other vice presidents. We sat around a rectangular conference table, eating our high-cholesterol lunches of cold French fries, tough Rueben sandwiches and milk.

No one spoke for a moment.

[Continued On Next Page: Click Here]