The New Friends we are Meeting are Broadening our Horizons Even Further

Friends broaden our horizons. They serve as new models with whom we can identify. They allow us to be ourselves—and accept us that way.

Judith Viorst

Friends Do Broaden our Horizons

Jane and I attended our first book signing last Monday in Houston.

Why Houston, you ask? Well, a good friend of Jane’s, Linnet Deily (who’s briefly profiled in our book) offered to sponsor one! As a bonus, her friend and fellow lane changer, Deborah Cannon, helped coordinate the event and agreed to speak to us about her lane change. More on Deborah in a future blog.

The event was a major success. We sold more books than we had with us. Everyone left with one….and some have already recommended it to their friends.

The women (yes, all attendees were of the kinder and gentler sex—with the exception of my brother-in-law, Martin Light) were quite accomplished. To wit, one woman we met had started her career as a nurse, went back to school to become a teacher, and then breezed through law school to become a lawyer! I’m thinking, she should be the cover girl for Changing Lanes! A couple of others, whom I spent time with, were in transition. A retail store manager sold her business and was trying to figure out what she could do that her husband would get on board with. I pointed her to more than one story in the book that dealt with that very issue.

The most poignant personal story was the was the one of a former news anchor and Emmy-Award-winning journalist from the Houston area. She was the first journalist to get a one-on-one with former Enron Chairman and CEO Ken Lay and she traveled with the Columbia astronaut families to Israel to cover first-hand the government’s memorial to the tragedy.  But, being the longest-serving woman news anchor in Houston history doesn’t mean a lot in an industry that prides itself on youthful women and sage, gracefully aging men. Predictably, she was placed behind the camera, but it gave her time to come to grips with her retirement from the public eye. She’s now a recognized community leader, public speaker, and philanthropist.

We both spent time with a woman whose name escaped us, but it was a hoot of a time! She has been in real estate for years and was trying to transfer her skills to a wider market. And it’s not what you would expect—selling cleverness or client management adeptness. She demonstrated her area of expertise directly with us…the right and wrong ways to shake hands and make eye contact.  After all, we tend to make an indelible impression within the first three seconds of meeting someone. Haven’t we each experienced a dead fish in our hands sometime during our career? 

She then entertained us with a story of showing up in shorts and flip flops for a meeting she was chairing. The people there didn’t know she was the chairperson, and needless to say she got sideway glances and rude stares. A few moments before the meeting was to begin, she dressed in her normal business attire and stood to address the shocked crowd. Needless to say, she made her point! People do appraise your visual and behavioral appearance from head to toe. You may intrigue some and disenchant others. She sure inspired us. 

Jane and I have always said writing the book was about the journey. Little did we realize the journeys we’d experience as a result of writing the book. Meeting these women and listening to their stories was a wonderful experience. 

Stay tuned for book signings in your area! 

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