[Mn-at-large] Weekly Update: The Coffee Challenge

[David Andrews]

>
>Greetings, fellow federationists,
>I was listening to a podcast recently where the 
>host described what he called the coffee 
>challenge. He said, in essence, that it is 
>important to practice being uncomfortable and to 
>practice pushing ourselves into uncomfortable 
>situations in order to grow. To practice this 
>discomfort, he suggested going into a coffee 
>shop and asking the cashier for a 10% discount. 
>You’re not allowed to bring a friend for moral 
>support. You’re not allowed to explain anything 
>about why you’re asking; you’re not allowed to 
>give any sort of pre-amble at all. When they 
>tell you the cost of the coffee, you ask for a 
>10% discount. The point of the exercise, he 
>says, is not to actually get a discount. 
>Instead, the important thing is that you’re 
>willing to ask. Incidentally, I’ve heard of an 
>extreme version of this exercise where you 
>actually lie down on the floor for 10 seconds or 
>so while waiting in line, then get right back up 
>and act like nothing happened. That’s hardcore.
>The idea of the coffee challenge scares the heck 
>out of me, I think, because it makes me 
>vulnerable. I’m forced to ask a question which I 
>have every reason to believe will receive a hard 
>no, and that rejection will just make me feel 
>foolish. In addition, I would be doing something 
>which is unexpected or unusual when I much 
>prefer fitting in. I even worry that there will 
>be a blindness component to it, that the cashier 
>will take pity on me because I’m blind, even 
>though I know blindness has nothing to do with 
>my asking. But if I think about how low the 
>stakes are, there’s very little reason not to 
>try it. At worst, I’ll be told no. At best, I’ll 
>get a discount on coffee. Either way, I’ll have 
>a chance to be uncomfortable, and that’s likely 
>a chance I should take more often.
>There are a lot of times we as blind people are 
>told and taught to be safe, not because of any 
>real danger, but because of the danger others 
>perceive us to be in. If we’re told that enough, 
>it’s easy to internalize it­to take the safe 
>path when the riskier might be more rewarding. 
>Why not take the front seat on the bus? After 
>all, it’s closer and easier to find, even if it 
>means sitting elbow to elbow with two other 
>people and holding a backpack on your lap. Why 
>not just stay home instead of finding a running 
>or biking partner? It’s easier and far less 
>scary than possible rejection. The trap of the 
>easier path is all too real, and I would like to 
>make 2019 a year to practice breaking out of that trap.
>If you ever attempt the coffee challenge, I hope 
>you’ll let me know how it goes for you. If you 
>don’t, I encourage you to find your own way to 
>practice pushing yourself to new limits. Either 
>way, I wish you a new year full of success, growth, and happiness.
>
>Washington Seminar Deadline extended
>If you are interested in taking part in the 
>Washington Seminar, the deadline to book your 
>hotel room has been extended until January 4. To 
>learn more about the seminar and find out how 
>you can reserve your hotel room, you can go to 
><https://nfb.org/washington-seminar>https://nfb.org/washington-seminar
>
>World Braille Day
>We have long celebrated January 4 as the 
>birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of the 
>code that has enabled millions of blind people 
>to be successful. On Dec. 17, the United Nations 
>passed a resolution designating this day as 
>World Braille Day, a celebration of the man and 
>the code that have given us so much. This is 
>particularly timely given our recent success 
>with the Marrakesh Treaty and our participation in the wider world of Braille.
>However you celebrate, whether it’s baking M&M 
>cookies with Braille letters or just sitting 
>down with a good book, take a moment to reflect 
>on just how amazing an invention Braille was, 
>and how much we have benefitted from it.
>
>Ring the Bell!
>At our last board meeting, the board voted to 
>hold a Braille Enrichment for Literacy and 
>Learning­Bell Academy­during 2019. The purpose 
>of the BELL Program is to offer children quality 
>instruction in Braille and introduce them to our 
>positive philosophy of blindness. We know that 
>Braille is a crucial tool in obtaining an equal 
>education and achieving gainful employment for 
>so many blind people, and we want to make sure 
>the next generation of blind people will be successful.
>More details will be forthcoming as the year 
>progresses, but if you know now that you would 
>like to help with the program, we would like to 
>hear from you. I have asked Briley O’Connor to 
>coordinate our efforts. You can express your 
>interest to her by emailing her at 
><mailto:brileyoc at gmail.com>brileyoc at gmail.com.
>
>Presidential Release
>I know that many chapters held holiday 
>gatherings this month instead of holding a 
>traditional meeting. If you would still like to 
>hear the presidential release, which is normally 
>played at chapter meetings, you can find it 
>online. There is also a text transcript of the release available.
>Both the text and audio versions can be found at 
><https://nfb.org/presidential-releases>https://nfb.org/presidential-releases
>
>Member Spotlight
>If you would like to be featured in an upcoming 
>member spotlight, please send me a brief bio or 
>a few notes about you, and I’ll be sure to include you in a future update.
>This week, we get to know Steve Jacobson, our 
>first vice-president and a long-time member of 
>the organization. Steve is a treasure trove of 
>great stories, which you can see hints of just 
>from the following few paragraphs.
>I grew up mostly in Rochester, Minnesota, in the 
>1950's and 60's, attending what was then called 
>the Minnesota Braille and Sight Saving School in 
>Faribault.  After graduation in 1969, I majored 
>in mathematics at Augsburg College in 
>Minneapolis which is where I first learned about 
>computer programming.  Also while in college, I 
>learned about the National Federation of the 
>blind, and was grateful to find others who felt 
>similarly about being blind, but more important, 
>I heard about and met blind people who did a 
>greater variety of jobs than I had ever imagined 
>was possible.  While in college, I worked for 
>one summer at the Communication Center at state 
>Services for the blind, and also in a dark room 
>developing pictures.  Later, I was a contract 
>programmer for a small company that went 
>bankrupt, but I could then say I had job experience on my updated resume.
>In 1976, I began working at the 3M company as a 
>computer programmer and I held a number of 
>related jobs during my career.  Although I 
>officially retired in October of 2016 after 
>forty years, I am still working for them on a 
>part time basis.  During that time, Nadine and I 
>adopted two kids from Korea, Elizabeth and 
>Catherine, who are now both striking out on their own.
>During my long association with the Federation, 
>I've been lucky to see many firsts.  There was 
>the excitement of the first talking clocks and 
>calculators, the first demonstration of the 
>Kurzweil Reading machine, the first talking 
>computers, the first braille displays, cheaper 
>braille embossers, and much more.  I was 
>fortunate to be part of a long battle to get 
>representation on the board of the Minneapolis 
>Society for the Blind, now VLR, and that 
>eventually led to the creation of BLIND Incorporated.
>We live in a fast changing world, and my hope is 
>to bring the lessons learned in the past with us into an exciting future.
>
>Dates to Remember
>    * Jan. 12, 2019, 10:00 AM: State Board Meeting, Minneapolis
>    * Jan 16, 2019: Day at the Capitol, St. Paul
>    * Jan. 28-31, 2019: Washington seminar, Washington DC
>    * May 18, 2019: Semiannual Convention, Minneapolis
>    * July 7-12, 2019: NFB National Convention, Las Vegas, NV
>    * Oct. 25-27, 2019: NFBMN Annual state Convention, St. Cloud
>
>Make it a great week and a great year!
>Ryan
>
>
>Ryan Strunk, President
><mailto:president at nfbmn.org>president at nfbmn.org
>www.nfb.org
><http://www.nfbmn.org>www.nfbmn.org
>(612) 872-9363
>Live the life you Want.
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