I am a motorcoach:

Here with another contribution to make on the subject of slowing the world down. Last week I told you about the overarching principle of “living early.” An important aspect of this mentality is seeing early. Here’s an example: When traveling down the highway approaching an overpass, I look at the top of the overpass to see if vehicles are turning onto the ramp to enter the highway in the direction I am going. This enables me to see in advance if I might need to move over a lane to make room for others.

Seeing early is a principle of expansion—time expansion, which means more time to make decisions and apply actions. It is equally a principle of courtesy, a habit of making room where it might be needed by someone else. In crowded places where everyone has the same need for a bit of space, nothing slows the world down more effectively than courtesy.

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

News of Courtesy: I come to an intersection preparing to make a right hand turn and see that it cannot be made without borrowing a little of an adjacent lane, one in which vehicles are preparing to make left hand turns. I also see that my need for extra space has been noticed. A UPS truck is stopped well before the left hand turn line, waiting, making room for me to complete my turn. Yes, here is the news: Courtesy abounds! I see it everywhere, every day; and it is a welcome sight.

News of Ice Cream: Did you know that the name Häagen-Dazs has no meaning aside from the name of the ice cream brand for which it is know? That is, Häagen and Dazs are not words originating from some Scandinavian language as you (along with many others) might have assumed. Häagen-Dazs is not a European ice cream brand, but like its creator, Reuben Mattus, it originated in the Bronx, New York. Mattus invented the ice cream and the name to make a statement of old-world quality of craftsmanship. In both cases it worked—branding at its best! (It’s the kind of information one hears transporting members of a Nestle Purina managerial team).

News of the world: One group of passengers has gathered from England, Germany, Spain, Poland, France, Australia, Canada, and numerous other nations, a meeting of the minds to discuss and test global mapping technologies and developments, managerial staff of the National Geospacial Intelligence Agency (progenitor of Google Earth). • Another group is a Nestle Purina international managerial confluence, traveling to Clinton, Iowa to tour a manufacturing plant. • Yet another is made up of education placement specialists from Asia, Europe, Australia, South America, and North America, here as a think-tank for international student placement strategies.

Who would’ve thought that a motorcoach could be so important?

Selfies

You know the term “rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.” Well, the motorcoach version of this I call “logo rubbing.” I am a motorcoach, and a motorcoach is a commercial entity. Being proud of the logo that boldly adorns all sides of my glossy red form, I enjoy snapping a selfie now and then with other commercial notables. I think you’ll recognize these.

Here I am with the elegant and earthy Monsanto logo.

See that red and white checkerboard logo way up yonder? It is one of the most recognized and valuable logos in the world. When its original suitors, Ralston and Purina, parted ways back in the 1990s, both sides fought for and won the right to continue use of the logo as independent companies. Today, on the Purina side, the logo is connected to the Swiss food giant, Nestle.

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