Simple beef taco dreams

Trudging through frigid 32 degree air & patches of ice, lunchtime today meant a journey to the local taco shop. I had no faith that the tacos would "make the cut." I imagined the consistency of rubbery chicken, the dryness of a store bought flour tortilla, and flavor of a cardboard box. Nonetheless, I brought back 2 tacos, wrapped i nsmall paper trays, to the office to try. The 1st taco was cubed chicken meat placed in the center of two small, corn tortilla shells. The shells were warm & chewy without being gummy, and the aroma of freshly, hand-prepared tortillas steamed into my nostrils. It was an ok taco.

The 2nd taco was beef. I shuddered to think that it would be dry, or even worse, be the consistency of cat food. I unwrapped the simple beef taco -- meat and tortilla only -- and a slight shine twinkled at me. I spread the meat evenly in the shell, wrapped the tortilla to harness the meat, and took my first bite. Oh my goodness! The meat was succulent. It melted in my mouth. No extra sauces, no mountains of cilantro, salsa, or other condiments to hide the fact that THIS WAS DAMN GOOD MEAT. This taco immediately brought me back to dreams of San Diego. The simplicity of the taco meat reminded me that sometimes the extra "complexities" (hate that word) that we add to life are oftentimes unneccessary.

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As we are constantly reminded by the negative, non-new news, businesses, non-profits, and individuals are all being affected by these tough economic times. Yet, for entities that follow the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid), these touch times are when they can shine. By continuing to strategize around only what they do well, these businesses, non-profits, and individuals save money by minimizing re-structuring costs, maintain only a cursory level of fat, all while keeping morale high. At Grameen, they are focused on "combining technology, microfinance, and innovative solutions to defeat global poverty." Whilst by no means is this a simple goal, they maintain their target by dividing & conquering... and thereby keeping it simple. The non-profit has regional divisions focused on serving the needs of their microfinance partners, a centralized IT department focused on those tech solutions, a social performance team focused on monitoring the financial & social results, operational department; all of which work individually to achieve the overall mission of the organization. To bring it all together, there are bi-weekly all-hands-on-deck video conference meetings to communicate on major initiatives, exchange ideas, and express opinions during a Q&A session. The pessimists remind of constantly that the world is falling apart; so, it's good to witness one place that continues to work hard to make the lives of other a better place.

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Reality Check: The HIGH yesterday in our nation's capital was below 32 degrees. Yet as I walked back to my heated corporate apartment, I saw homeless people constructing their cardboard homes in a local park. Though some were bundled in jackets and scarves, it was obvious that their night-time shelters could easily be blown over. Whereas, it may be easy to get frustrated when someone doesn't process paperwork correctly, in the light of greater needs it's hard to get upset. My reality is that I am fortunate to live in a safe commuity, with a solid roof over my head, a heater, and running water. For those things and more, I am truly grateful.