When getting ready for work or play, I occasionally enjoy listening to Pitbull’s Sirius XM station and jumping up, half-dressed, to dance in front of the mirror. This past Sunday morning, as I painted on my face, I tuned in and noticed the DJ kept asking callers if their family’s Easter celebration was more religious or social. Many listeners said both–and all followed up with praise and gratitude for their full family and life.
In 2019, when I first met and blogged about Razorback basketball Coach Eric Musselman, I didn’t know that Covid 19 was looming ahead or that the Razorbacks would make it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2021’s Playoff.
My business mentor, Charles Fisher, was a prankster aficionado. He did things like poke a tiny pin hole in the side of your soda can, just below the tab opening, so that every time you took a sip it would dribble down your chin. For all new employees, he would leave pink return call slip on their desk with the phone number to a funeral home asking them to return a call to “Myra Maines.” He always had a joke ready for any occasion.
Whenever any flag controversy arises, the media comes a-calling, asking the flag experts for a comment.
This past week, just such an occasion arose when the representative from Arkansas District 54, Mr. Johnny Rye, made news by submitting House Bill 1014 which would make stomping, defacing, or burning the flag punishable with up to one year in prison.
The original premise for starting the Up In Your Business radio show and podcast was to interview guests that could share small business information and give encouragement to those just starting out. It did not take long before my guests and I were repeating the same information. No matter what your business is, the “rules of business” remain the same.
During my ole’ lady swim class, I overheard a fellow participant complain that she was suffering mentally and blamed it on a lack of routine brought on by Covid-19’s restrictions. I told her I was suffering from just the opposite … too much routine.
This is hard to believe: I have been blogging since 2004! I used to blog once a month but, a few years back, my marketing staff pushed me to blog more and share my business knowledge.
I have never seen Arkansas’ local TV meteorologist, Barry Brandt, so happy. He appeared almost jubilant as he pointed to the snow-covered map and expounded on snowfall statistics that he clearly loves.
When I overheard my daughter telling someone that her “PJ game was strong,” I had to laugh and thought, “Right now, that’s true for everyone.” Gone are the days of dressing up and going out. Now, a big outing is masking up for a run to the grocery store and back home for a night of cooking or lounging in freshly washed PJ’s with a good book, hard puzzle, or mini-series on the boob tube (that’s a TV for you youngsters).
At the start of a new year, I revive the habit of listing my blessings each night before bed. This year is no different. Appearing at the top of my list remains ‘being born in America.’
The best part of a vacation is, as Carley Simon sang: anticipation. It gives you something to look forward to. I always know I am due a ‘vacay’ when the smallest things at work or home seem larger than they are, and the daily grind feels like drudgery. That is when I think, “I need a vacation,” and just the thought of getting away buoys my mood and increases my productivity.
The CDC recommends not traveling unless you absolutely must; and if you must, be smart about it. Weighing these recommendations, I thought about my upcoming and necessary trip to Miami, Florida. Should I rent an RV and drive? With a pull-along bed, bath, and kitchen I could quarantine throughout the three day drive down. It seemed like a responsible way to travel.
How can I not talk about Wednesday’s siege on our Capital and its possible effect on the flag business?
I know buying a new car is a luxury, not an investment, but that does not keep me from purchasing one. Recalling the evolution of one’s cars is a lot like tracing the evolution of one’s life.
What good is a blog without honesty? Who wants to read about a perfect person living a perfect life? Personally, I want to watch the crazies: The Osbourne’s, Trump, and daytime Soaps. By watching other poor souls struggle and make mistakes, I feel better about my own actions and the crazy voice (I like to call Devil Speak) in my head.
For many of us, this Christmas will be different. As I sit and think about my growing grandchildren, I reflect on Christmases past.
I don’t consider myself an influencer, though I blog every week, have a podcast and YouTube channel, and my marketing team puts my face on everything. Instead, I prefer to think of myself as an encourager.
Just when you think it is all over, you get a little sign from the universe telling you, “What you do matters.” That is what happened to me last week.
My parent’s generation thought of dogs as animals. In my generation, they were elevated to family pets. And now, in the homes of millennials, they are treated as children.
I’m not good at remembering proper nouns: people’s names, places and events. But I am good at remembering all the other sentence structure that make for good conversation and storytelling.
