Well, almost…

Last year I asked the Federal Government for $5,000.  Oh, it wasn’t for me. It was a donation request to support a nonprofit’s community festival.  Similar to all our governmental entities, non-profit organizations “run on money”.

I thought… I pay taxes; the government spends taxes; why not ask for a little?  My request of $5,000 was almost nothing within the context of more than $4 Trillion in taxes collected each and every year.  Logically, my request should have had a chance, right?  Well, almost…

I’m a huge Air Force fan.  In the 1940s, my Dad served in the Army Air Corps (which preceded the United States Air Force).  I’m a big fan of the Air Force Academy’s NCAA Division I football team, too.  So when I decided to solicit the Federal Government I focused on the USAF as my “target”. 

One solicitor to another, I sent an email of introduction outlining my request to the local US Armed Forces Recruiting Office; specifically a contact there from the Air Force.  Well, almost…  The contact I had was no longer working out of that local office.  My email was forwarded on a circuitous route until it finally ended up in the in-box of Master Sergeant Anthony Woodall. (Did he lose a bet?)

Seems like our government and the business world have a lot in common when it comes to emails aimlessly wandering along from in-box to in-box until someone (anyone!) eventually responds.  MSgt. Woodall responded.  We agreed to meet at his office.

“I have the money” was Anthony’s greeting.  Before I even introduced myself; before we shook hands; before I sat down; he declared he had the money I was requesting.  Well, almost…

After-all, there is that thing known as red tape:

To the government, cutting red tape often means slicing it into long strips lengthwise.

Norman R. Augustine

MSgt. Woodall had to “run it by his up-line”.  Plus, there was the paperwork.  Anthony said it was straight forward.  Well, almost…  Actually, filling out the government form was indeed straight forward.  It was where that form was routed that tested one’s perseverance.  Literally weeks went by with no word on approval; rejection; more information required; nothing.  I wanted to believe Anthony when he said this was normal, but the delay brought Herodotus to mind:

Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all.

As we approached the event deadline to his credit Master Sergeant Woodall contacted me with the bad news.  My request from our government was rejected.  His consolation was maybe it could happen in 2025 since we already went through their process. But in the back of my mind all I could think of was… Well, almost.

                                                            GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.