They came to me a dream - a very strange dream indeed. A ladybug, a squirrel and an eagle, each one appeared and shared advice. To this day, I am not sure why.
Sitting in a lawn chair in my yard, a ladybug landed on my hand. To my surprise, it spoke in a voice that sounded just like my Aunt Leona. The ladybug said:
"Here is my advice to you on this day -
Be well rounded. Try many experiences and always learn more each day.
Sam, a young boy growing up on a farm, spent many hours watching the ducks on the farm's pond. Sam often approached the ducks only to have them swim or fly away in fear.
One day, a duckling waddled over to him and started to eat some breadcrumbs that had dropped from his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sam was amazed that as he reached down to pick up the duckling, it was not afraid of him. With the duckling still eating a few remaining breadcrumbs in his hand, Sam decided on the spot to keep the duckling as a pet.
"Hey... WATCH OUT! Stay in this lane! You can't merge into that lane!"
"Whew... that was close."
"Didn't you see that car?"
"No, the car was right in my blind spot."
Bend, Oregon, with a population of over 80,000 people, offers great skiing and snowmobiling in the winter at nearby Mt. Bachelor and white water rafting, trout fishing and camping in the spring and summer. It also has one of largest concentrations of microbreweries and craft breweries in the world, making Bend, Oregon a perfect setting for a father-and-son Spring Break vacation.
...and so it was.
In the stillness of the night, he takes each breath slowly; deliberately. Eyes closed, hands by his side. The silence is only broken by the humming and hissing of the oxygen machine. The oxygen, supplied in a clear plastic tube to his nose, enables his dreams to be more peaceful; bringing a degree of comfort and relief to a weary body now in the third week of home Hospice care.
For four nights and portions of the day, I have been watching Dad.
Research shows we retain...
It has been another long day. Your job, though it is professionally rewarding and pays the bills, take its toll on life outside of work. Yes, there are times when you have missed Billie's games, the opening of Susie's school play, and you almost scheduled a business trip on your wedding anniversary, but you feel overall you have managed pretty well over the years to achieve a good balance between work and family.
It's 8:30 PM as you walk in the door. Eight-year-old Billie, your "best buddy," is in his pajamas and ready for bed. Upon hearing the door open, he runs to see you.
"There appears to be a pattern developing here."
"Pattern? What pattern?"
"The pattern of mediocrity."
"So, is that bad?"
"Absolutely! With as much talent as you have; your background, your high potential, this is really, really bad."
"You are making too much of this. I am just tired, and I need a break."
"I love you."
"What?"
"I love you!"
"Wow...why did you say that?"
"Well, you are very special to me. I can't wait to see you. And when we are together, I am the happiest person on earth."
"That is so sweet. But what brought this on?"
"Well, I was watching a World War II movie the other day. This guy couldn't get the nerve up in person to say that he loved his girlfriend, so he wrote a letter to express how much he cared for her, and that he loved her with all his heart."
"What happened?"
"Tragically, the guy died in battle the next day after he wrote the letter, and the letter was finally delivered ten years later after the war had ended."
"How sad..."
"For over ten years, she wondered if he really loved her. Well, I don't want you to think for one moment more, or for ten years no less, that I love you."
"But you are in no danger like the soldier. The only danger as an accountant is that you may spill your Diet Coke on your keyboard, or you may get a paper cut on one of your financial statements."
"Very funny. The movie reminded me that life is fleeting, and if you feel strongly about a person, you should express it now before it's too late."
"You are so right. And by the way, I love you too!"
Until Next Friday,
One day last month, I was doing some errands with my little girls, Lauren and Veronica. And during our trip, we passed “Mr. Waver’s Fruit Stand.” Now, “Mr. Waver’s” was not actually the name of the fruit stand. It’s just the name we gave it. For you see, each time a car would pass, “Mr. Waver” would raise his right hand and with an open palm facing the car, he would move his hand side to side doing his best to make eye contact with the driver.
Well, we were approaching “Mr. Waver’s Fruit Stand” fully expecting the traditional wave. As we drew closer, we looked, made eye contact and to our astonishment ... no wave. No wave at all.
Read MoreAs consumers, there are many things we like to hear. Those catch lines or phrases that draw our attention; with our wallets and pocketbooks not too far behind:
This past week, two articles in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye. One article highlighted the NBA’s new emphasis on enhancing the season ticket holder’s customer experience with special promotions and public recognition. The other article analyzed Wal-Mart’s recent decision to sweeten their bonus program for hourly and long-term employees. It appears that employee morale has been slipping lately at Wal-Mart, and the hourly bonus program is going to motivate more smiles and better customer service.
Read MoreEarlier this week, I brought my Infiniti I30 in for service at the Infiniti dealer. My car, purchased on my birthday in October 1999, now has over 145,000 miles on it. It has performed very well over the years. Outside of normal maintenance issues, I have had little concern that when I turned the ignition key, the engine would start. When I pressed on the gas pedal, the car moved; and when I pressed on the brake, the car stopped – pretty simple and straightforward.
Everything was okay … until just a few weeks ago.
“There are a trumpet player and a trombone player just checking in,” he said, placing an internal phone call to a colleague in the second-floor hotel executive offices during what is called “the shoulder season.”
The periods between ski seasons and summer seasons are called the “mud” or “shoulder seasons.” Usually, local vendors close their enterprises and use these periods to rest, recuperate and renew for the following busy seasons leaving little to do for tourists who aren’t interested in golf, hiking or fly-fishing.
Read MoreThe Main Event of the 2006 World Series of Poker kicks off today with the largest field of participants ever gathered for a single live poker event.
Among the dark sunglasses, hats, and unfolding drama, you may just hear the expression, “all in." For those that are familiar with No-Limit Texas Hold’em, this is a common (and necessary) action of betting all your remaining poker chips against an opponent who has much more in hopes that your hand will come out on top. If you lose the hand, you are out. If you win the hand, you are one step closer to a seat at the final table.
Read MoreAs I travel, I take a great deal of time to walk and read the many items posted and listed in the back of the house. Often times, I find inspiring quotes posted on the walls or on plaques in individual offices. The following quotes are particularly inspiring, and I wanted to have the opportunity to share them with you. It is my hope that one or two quotes may provide you with the inspiration or sense of purpose that great accomplishment and teamwork can achieve.
Read MoreMany times I am asked, “What is great customer service?” Here’s a quick rundown:
Great Customer Service is not:
"Welcome, everyone, to 'Deal or No Deal.'”
[Applause]
"Our first contestant is Joe. Welcome to the show, Joe!"
"It’s great to be here, Howie!"
[Applause. The camera pans the audience and displays a close-up of Joe’s wife smiling and applauding.]
Some time ago I received a very nice pen as a present. This is the type of pen you see in a catalog and you wonder why anyone would pay that much for a pen. After all, pens are rather cheap and easy to come by.
But not this pen, it’s special. It feels good when you hold it in your hand, and has a very high brand appeal. One could say that it is a great “show pen.”
In the course of a month, I may visit Home Depot four to five times. Sometimes for light bulbs, other times for fertilizer, and other times for some little part of something that broke off or wore out.
I typically search up and down the aisles with that lost and confused look and hope that someone will come to my rescue. But often times (in fact, too many times), I can not find an employee to help me. Even when I do, they are usually helping someone else (reminds me of waiting on the phone).
