I am hopeful because we are crossing a threshold and have reached the critical mass where the positive news will continue to outweigh the negative; and forward motion becomes unstoppable. Some of these things are big, many are small. They are all putting drops in the bucket of my hope.
Food trucks, like each of us, create their own brand – their own style. An entrepreneurial chef can pull together a truck at a fraction of brick and mortar restaurant cost. With four wheels, a small staff, and social media savvy they build their business and their brand.
When my company was new, I would read the trade journals at night scanning the manufacturer’s ads. If it was a big ad I would not call; they usually had representatives, plus long distance calls were expensive. The little ads were different – they needed help. If they made a quality product for a fair price, it might be something we wanted to sell …
I wanted a forever home, a spot in the community, not just a seat on a plane. I wanted to control my life and have time for my wife and children – to attend school, religious, scouting and sports events. I wanted them to grow up in the same house and not move every few years, the way I had as a child. All of these thoughts made Charlotte the ideal location for our final move.
Married and with two young children, I took a big step to enter the world of small business. I had spent 17 years with all of the privileges of upper management in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Those years were educational and rewarding but I was ready for something new; plus, there was a side of Corporate America I didn’t want to be part of …
Thanks to the Experience the City of Music program, the traveling public can enjoy a great layover at this Pacific Rim gateway. The Port of Seattle and the SeaTac merchants offer varied arts programing, including live performances by selected local musicians seven days a week throughout the terminal. On Sunday, traveling home from Alaska, I met Gretchen Yanover …
Skunk Cabbage is the first sign of spring along the streams of Alaska. It sticks its green head up from under the melting snow to welcome the return of the breeding salmon. When you look closely at the plant, the inner most leaf, around the flower, is bright yellow and the plant has a flower on a tall stalk, like a staff. The Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska respect this special plant and understand how it is hitched to everything else.
Twenty-five years ago Joyce and I visited Alaska. In the years since, we have longed to return, to go deeper, to learn more. When we discovered that Casey Anderson, the rock star of NatGeo Wild and America the Wild, was part of a trip with National Geographic on the Sea Bird we knew we were ready to travel.
My wife and I journeyed to Southeast Alaska for a week in late May, traveling among the many islands on a small expedition ship. Each day we went ashore by Zodiac inflatable boats to a remote cove or inlet. I found Namasté connecting me to my surroundings in ways I had not previously experienced or even thought about.
I am inspired by people who follow their hearts and their dreams. It takes great courage to go against the flow of our society’s expectations. This story is about people who are following their heart. Their choices allow them to find a level of happiness that others, who follow only their head, are missing.