VOICES

Lighten the load and brighten the mood

She had gone out for a run, and it wasn’t until she was more than a half mile away before she realized that she had left her phone at home. The reason she became aware of the missing phone was because she felt just a little bit lighter. The average cell phone weighs under 0.5 pounds and as she returned from her run, she thought about why she could feel such a slight difference as she ran.

As she shared her story with me, we began creating a list of possibilities for how such an insignifi cant amount of weight could have had such a noticeable impact. We tossed around ideas that had more to do with the size of the device and not the weight and how that may have prompted her to notice that her phone was missing. And then we kicked around a few silly ideas before settling on what was probably the real reason.

She started to talk about all the things she has on her phone, everything from several screens loaded with dozens of apps, several games, tens of thousands of photos, workrelated tools such as her email and calendar, and all the social media platforms. Among her apps were at least 10 news feeds which she checked regularly. We hypothesized that although none of these carry any physical weight, they certainly carry with them emotional and stressful weights that when we don’t have access to them for even the shortest amount of time, we can begin to feel a little lighter and the world seems a little brighter.

Maybe we can all relate to this a little bit when we think about all the weight that comes with our own cell phones that we carry. The need to be in the know at all times about what is happening with our family and friends. Feeling obligated to check every email or text and respond immediately. Experiencing withdrawals if we do not open our news feeds to make sure we know what is going on in our town, state, country, and around the world. And not only making sure we check the news, but we also must check multiple sites to try and fi nd the truth as we never know who or what to believe.

As we continued our conversation, going into the details of what is contained on her phone, she realized just how heavy that phone really was. And to run for a few miles without it and feel just the slightest bit lighter now made all the sense in the world. She made the commitment to herself that she would start to eliminate the apps, games, and tools and minimize the amount of time she stayed glued to her phone. She also planned to leave her phone at home whenever she would go for another run. Her plan was to lighten the load to brighten the mood each day.

Acclaimed author and motivational speaker Krish Dhanam talks about how we can put a little more pep in each step and bounce in each ounce. And that is exactly what I recommend for all of us, to put a little more pep in each step and bounce in each ounce by determining what we allow into our lives, to become planted in our minds, and to penetrate our hearts, letting the good stuff in and keeping the bad stuff out. Identifying where all that weight that sits upon our shoulders is coming from and remove it not only from our phones but from anywhere else it has established a foothold in our life.

As we head into the holiday season, it is the perfect time of year to minimize our burdens, stressors, fears, worries and doubts, and focus on all the people and opportunities in our life that brings us peace, joy, hope, and love. I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can remember to lighten the load and brighten the mood, it really will be a better than good life.

WINNING WORDS

Michael Norton

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager, and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Can Tri-State move fast enough?

Grocery stores have been consolidating. With utilities, the opposite is happening. We’re seeing some of them start to come apart. Specifi cally in question is whether Colorado’s second-largest electrical provider, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, will survive this great pivot in how we produce and consume electricity.

Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest utility, seems secure in its business model even as the world of electricity turns upside down. It might have the last coal plant standing. Comanche 3 — sometimes called Pueblo 3 — is scheduled to retire no later than the end of 2030. But the utility has been fl eeing coal since at least 2017 when the plunging prices of wind and solar became obvious. It reliably gives shareholders returns of around 9%.

Tri-State has no private investors. It was created by electrical cooperatives in 1952 to transmit electricity. Over time it added coal plants and other generating sources to its portfolio. It delivers power to 42 electrical cooperatives in four states, including 17 in Colorado.

In 2018, Xcel delivered 52% of electricity in Colorado and Tri-State 18% followed by Colorado Springs Utilities and then other smaller utilities. A decade ago, Tri-State was stodgy and calcifi ed. At the time, it was still going through the motions of trying to build a humongous coal plant in Kansas. Luckily for its members, Tri-State failed. By 2019, Tri-State had set out to embrace changes. That includes closing its last coal-fi red station in Colorado by 2030.

The changed outlook in rural Colorado served by the cooperatives was evident at the annual conference of the Colorado Rural Electric Association in late October. The very name of the conference, “innovations summit,” refl ected recognition of change.

Absent were undercurrents of just a few years ago, when panel moderators made jokes about climate change with rolls of their eyes. This year, one farmer, who said his tractor was already worth more than his house, pushed back against the idea of electrifi cation of agricultural implements. That was not the general tenor, though. Rural co-ops mostly accept that we will have to fi gure out electricity — and energy more broadly — without putting emissions into the atmosphere. They also recognize that electricity will play a broader role in transportation and buildings.

Some co-ops have been moving more briskly than others. Holy Cross Energy, the cooperative serving 50,000 members in the Vail, Aspen, and Rifl e areas, has an audacious goal of delivering 100% emission-free energy by 2030. Bryan Hannegan, the chief executive, explained his cooperative’s plans for microgrids. Holy Cross is one of fi ve cooperatives in Colorado independent of Tri-State.

As for Tri-State, 15 years ago it had a chief executive who poo-pooed the idea of climate change on national television. Now, it has a chief executive who openly discusses the way forward toward even deeper emissions cuts.

If cost-effective technology for emissions-free electricity exists for 80% to 90%, the answers about 100% goals remain unclear. Some technology or set of technologies must be scaled up to balance the intermittency of renewables. Deeper thinkers about the energy transition, including Aspen native Hal Harvey, co-author of “The Big Fix,” say nuclear may deliver the answer. It’s not cost-effective now, but at one time, neither was solar. Geothermal is another candidate. Both were agenda items at the conference.

Hydrogen was, too. Duane Highley, the chief executive of Tri-State since April 2019, said he sees hydrogen possibly being employed at Craig when the coal plants close. It could employ existing infrastructure, including transmission lines, and use many of the same skill sets as existing workers at Craig. But again, the technology isn’t quite there yet.

Who will Tri-State’s customers be a decade from now? Tri-State has lost two customers to Denver-based Guzman Energy in recent years, and neither co-op seems to be looking back. Now, two more Tri-State co-ops, La Plata Electric and San Miguel Power, both plan to get substantial amounts of electricity from new sources.

BIG PIVOTS

Allen Best

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