Over the Fence: Easier To Feel Than To Change

When my wife and I were first married, I worked for Nextel Communications at their corporate office in Oklahoma City. Do you remember Nextel? They had the “walkie talkie” phones with the pushto-talk feature. They later merged with Sprint, and now they are a forgotten name.

To be honest, I hated that job, but I loved my boss. His name was Ed. I think Ed hated his job, too. Like me, he didn’t really care about phones; he cared about people. I still have a notebook from those days with notes from staff meetings. There is not one note about sales projections or quotas. The notes are leadership quotes from Ed. He loved building people, and I was a willing student. He consistently encouraged us to care about people first, and he meant it. The one thing I remember him saying all the time was this: “The deepest desire of the human heart is to be heard and understood. Your job is to sell phones, but your mission is to listen to people.”

I’ve thought about that so many times through the years. Sometimes, you hear something, and it just resonates as truth. I think he’s right. People, deep down, just want to be heard and understood. I know I do, but if we all want to be heard and understood, someone has to do the listening.

Sadly, human beings are far more adept at speaking than listening. Have you ever seen two people arguing where

E & J’s We are your mechanics.

275-8016

ASE Certified

Over the Fence: By Brandon Dyer, Executive Director of Community Renewal of Pottawatomie County

Easier To Feel Than Change

both parties are raising their voices at the same time and continuing to get more and more frustrated with each other? Someone has to be the listener or else everyone walks away miserable.

Some of you have no doubt read Steven Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Habit five is, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” However, I wonder if Steven might allow us a special exception. If we were allowed to make one small edit, perhaps we would have the makings of the first step to the healing of our nation. “Seek first to understand.” Period. Oh, we can’t always understand, not completely, but given the gut-wrenching heartache we have witnessed on our phones and televisions resulting from the heartless murder of George Floyd, is it possible for white people like me to put away our human need to be heard on behalf of our black neighbors whose cries have fallen on deaf ears for centuries? No more counters and rebuttals. Just listening and learning. Once we understand better, let’s do better.

African-American author, James Baldwin, was born in Harlem in 1924. In an interview with the New York Times in July 1977, he acknowledged fleeing to Europe to escape the “everyday insults and humiliation, the continual sadness and the rage.” In reference to returning home, he told reporter Robert Coles, “Of course, people tell me all the time [back home] that they are trying, they are trying hard. Some have tears in their eyes and let me know how awful they feel about the way our poor live, our blacks or those in dozens of other countries. People can cry much easier than they can change, a rule of psychology people like me picked up as kids on the street."

We are all outraged and distraught by these events. Yet another unarmed black man killed by police, but James Baldwin’s words are too often true.

“People can cry much easier than they can change.”

We are moved, to tears even. Then, the next event catches our attention, and we move on. May it not be true this time. May we finally say enough is enough. May we subject ourselves to the deep, deep soul searching required to drive out even the tiniest remnants of racism hiding in the darkest chambers of our humanity. May we speak out against any form of racism, be it overt or covert. May our country truly be the land of the free as we at last learn to love our neighbor as ourselves.

WELCOME HOME

Canda White Sr. Mortgage Loan Consultant NMLS# 469222 • Quick approval • Construction to • First-time home buyer permanent financing loans • Debt consolidation • FHA, VA & USDA loans • Flexible repayment • Jumbo loans options Call m e today!

912 E. Independence St. | Shawnee, OK Office: 405-273-1761 | Direct: 405-615-3603 Fax: 405-395-9699 Email: cwhite@firstunitedbank.com Web: cwhite.fubmortgage.com

MORTGAGE

We express our gratitude for our dedicated team of healthcare providers for continuing to work and see patients during these difficult times.

We commend our teams willingness to keep seeing patients as their need arises and that we are able to provide both Home Health care and Hospice throughout the COVID crisis.

Enriching the lives of our patients and their families every day.

Heartland Home Health Care • Accredited by Accreditation Commission for Health Care • All RN On Call Staff • Home Care Elite 2004 - 2016 • Best of Shawnee Award 2016, 2017 and 2019

Phone 405-214-6441

Heartland Hospice Services • SHP Best Hospice Caregiver Satisfaction Superior Performer Award 2016, 2017 and 2018 • All RN On Call Staff • Volunteer Program Supports Families and Veterans • Bereavement Programs open to the public year round

Phone 405-214-6442

heartlandhomehealth.com/Shawnee heartlandhospice.com/Shawnee

JAMES HARROD FOR CITY COMMISSIONER Elect

• Experience that Counts • City Commissioner for 16 years • Vice Mayor for 8 years • Voted against taking street parking away from Broadway residents • Supported the city paying back money borrowed from the Street Account School superintendent for 30 years • General construction contractor for 7 years • Electrical contractor from 1996 to present • Retail business for 7 years • Police officer for 1 ½ years • College graduate with a Master’s degree and a postgraduate degree • Married to Kaye Steele Harrod • Father and step-father with 4 children and 10 grandchildren

Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. Offer Expires 12/31/2018 Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and centers are redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc.

2700 N Kickapoo 2700 N Kickapoo Shawnee, OK 74804

Hours:

Mon - Fri 08:00 AM-06:30 PM Shawnee, OK 74804 (405) 585-2907 store6963@theupsstore.com

Sat Sun

09:00 AM-02:30 PM Closed (405) 585-2907 theupsstorelocal.com/6963 store6963@theupsstore.com theupsstorelocal.com/6963 2700 N Kickapoo Shawnee, OK 74804 (405) 585-2907 store6963@theupsstore.com theupsstorelocal.com/6963

Hours: Mon - Fri Sat Sun

08:00 AM-06:30 PM 09:00 AM-02:30 PM Closed

Hours: Mon - Fri Sat Sun

08:00 AM-06:30 PM 09:00 AM-02:30 PM Closed

Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. Offer Expires 12/31/2018 Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. Offer Expires 12/31/2018

Classen Family Medicine 432 N. Broadway Ave. Shawnee, OK 405.395.4441 www.ClassenMedicalComplex.com

HOURS: Mon-Thur 8am-5pm

Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. Offer Expires 12/31/2018 Offer Expires 12/31/2018 Jeanie K. Johnson Simpson, PA-C

Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers. Restrictions apply. Valid and redeemable only when presented at a participating location. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated. © 2016 The UPS Store, Inc. Offer Expires 12/31/2018 Offer Expires 12/31/2018 PA Simpson received her Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Biology and Chemistry. She received her Masters of Medicine from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Physician Assistant program in 2005. PA Simpson resides in Shawnee with her husband, Chris and two daughters, Gracyn and Evy.

PA Simpson has been practicing Family Medicine for over 14 years. She moved her practice to Shawnee in February of 2018 from Seminole. She treats all aspects of family medicine and especially enjoys pediatrics, diabetes and dermatology.

For the past several years, PA Simpson has also been performing cosmetic procedures such as Botox and Juvederm injections as well as laser therapy, through her own company Lily Kate Aesthetics, LLC.