1985

1985

If you are like me, you have a stack of reading material by your bedside, with the best intentions of finding time to enjoy each one. One currently nestled by my bedside is a compilation from a recent social science study on the power of good intentions. Seeing the world and the people in it as benevolent enhances life; seeing those with a skeptical eye can turn life into a bitter pill. The general message is that being suspicious leads to a very unhappy life. Trusting in people’s good intentions makes for a happier one as constantly seeing hidden agendas will take its toll. You will be much better off giving people the benefit of the doubt as you work together. Sound advice.

While my first thought was self-reflective, my next was to send this study henceforth to the new administration in D.C. After all, we seem to have an elected leader who prefers to swallow the bitter pill. However, as they say: “Every nation gets the government it deserves.” Really? Probably best not to expand on this further here and heed the forewarning of All About Eve’s Margo Channing: “Fastenyour seatbelts; it is going be a bumpy night.” (Or, more likely, years.)

Now to focusing on good intentions; give a rouse to Sue Finegan for a very purposeful start to her year. First, she received Massachusetts’s 2017 Pinnacle Award on January 27 as one of eight female leaders in that state recognized for their accomplishments in business and management. The next night Sue found herself abruptly ditching her cocktail at a black tie gala to dash, high heels and all, to Boston’s Logan International Airport as part of a collective effort of Massachusetts legal beagles seeking to block the president’s edict on immigration. Two University of Massachusetts Dartmouth professors, both Muslim green card holders from Iran, detained and interrogated that night upon their return to Logan, were ultimately released. And thanks to Sue and her legal colleagues—mostly women—who successfully filed suit in federal court establishing a “strong likelihood of success” that the president’s order would violate immigrants’ constitutional rights, a Boston judge issued a temporary restraining order. Bravo, Stella!

Ifyouhave been wondering where in the world is Scott Liebman (last seen co-leading—with yours truly—a Putney high school student travel trip in France the summer we graduated), here is an update. Scott pursued a master of international affairs from Columbia and went on to hone more than 25 years of experience with international business development, startup companies and international product sourcing, distribution and logistics. He is presently cofounder of Fort Systems, a cloud-based fulfillment management solution that simplifies the process of fulfilling orders and optimizes supply chain operations, principally for the regulated, direct-to-consumer wine industry. Look Scott up next time you are out in Mill Valley, California.

Until our next column update, send us news— the real kind. That is all we print here.

All the best to all of you!

—Leslie A. Davis Dahl, 83 Pecksland Road, Greenwich, CT 06831; (203) 552-0070; dahlleslie@yahoo.com; John MacManus, 188 Ringwood Road, Rosemont, PA 19010; (610) 525-4541; slampong@aol.com