That Penguin Fell Off the Iceberg

“That penguin fell off the iceberg” is now my new favorite forever way of saying “Ooops, I forgot.” Sam Hall, who’s so new in the Organizing world he hasn’t launched a public business yet – but look for The Aviator Method to come – is the originator. I haven’t asked him, but I’d love to know if he’s Alaskan. His amusing, offbeat, unexpected, non-defensive phrase, which gave me a delightful flashback to one of my favorite children’s cartoons, Pingu, has me thinking – can we always find a silly, constructive way of saying something? Val Green, Pivot Organizing, gave me “When someone wins the lottery” as opposed to “If someone gets hit by a bus” concerning contingency planning. Now this native Nu Yawker uses “hit by a bus” as easily as she reads a subway map. But the switch from violent language to hopeful language is delightful, and I’ll allow it’s equally Nu Yawkerish. So can we draw on our heritage, our origins, school days, whatever, to make expressions truly our own? Can we write our affirmations?

I’ve started using OHMIUNIVERSE instead of OHMIGOD or OHMIGOSH. I’m agnostic, I know many atheists, and OHMIGOD has begun to ring just too untrue to me. I can’t remember the last time I thought of myself as an OHMIGOSH person, although I confess to still using “cool” far too often for my teenage son’s comfort. But I believe in our connectedness to each other through the Universe. OHMIUNIVERSE reminds me.