“Life is one indivisible whole.” Mahatma Gandhi It’s not the first time to get a splinter in my finger. I am working on a project at the street level of our multi-level condo at Orange Beach. Being downstairs means a needle is not readily available. Since it is just a small inconvenience, I continue on with my work. Not a good decision. Every time I grab a tool, I feel the irritation. Even when I feel no pain, I find myself thinking about this annoyance. I make a conscious effort to not … [Read more...]
Popcorn Man
"Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex." Hugh Mackay, author of The Good Life. “It was something about popcorn the gentleman was saying as I walked past him. Uncertain as to all of the words just spoken, I turned back to greet him. In a friendly, questioning tone, I asked, “Pardon me?” We were in the Delta Air Lines Sky Club® lounge at the Atlanta Airport. For frequent air travelers, this room is a welcome respite, especially if you have a long layover between … [Read more...]
Routines Are Not Routine
“It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant Have you ever noticed the routines that golf professionals go through as they get ready to make a shot? There are a number of common steps that most pros will perform. Checking with the caddy for distance to the hole, paying attention to current wind speed, and identifying hazards, are some of these elements. While steps in these routines are common among the … [Read more...]
How To Generate Passion
“Change your thoughts and you change the world.” ~ Dr. Norman Vincent Peale Have you noticed all the ‘positive attitude quotes’ on the Internet? When you go to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or the social media site of your choosing, you find a lot of motivational quotes and blogs. It is abundant, to say the least. Quotes from presidents, philosophers, motivational authors and famous leaders of the past, fill the social media world. Everyone is doing this, including me. You may notice … [Read more...]
The Non-Electronic Man
“The human spirit must prevail over technology.” ~ Albert Einstein Do you ever wonder if something is missing in this electronic world? What did we do before now? Actually, I grew up during a time when it was very different. Today, changes are rapid; we see a new world every few years. Even the speed of change is becoming faster. I have a friend, Sammy Wilder, who works in sales and does not use the internet. You can email something to his office where an administrative employee will … [Read more...]
There No Longer are Any Secrets
“What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Today I am reading an advertisement in the newspaper about a home management system, available at Lowe’s, that works using your smart phone. It provides home security and a lot more. You can use the system to lock or unlock doors, control temperature settings and record and watch video when an alarm is tripped. It is truly amazing what a person can do with a smart phone in today’s world. I turn on … [Read more...]
The Best Day Ever
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.” Art Linkletter Today is the day when my family moves into the first home we ever owned. My wife Carol and our two daughters, Kelly and Kim, spend the day moving furniture and boxes into our new residence on Church Street in Mobile, Alabama. The first goal of moving is to transport everything into the house. Unpacking may take weeks, possibly months. It is late in the afternoon when the last box is … [Read more...]
The Gold In Our Goldmine
“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.” Ansel Adams I admit that I have forgotten a lot. Blame it on math. There is just too much stuff to remember. Of the 8,760 hours in a year, we will be awake for over 5,000 of those hours and would be challenged if asked to remember even 300, unless we are a memory champion. Would it be nice if we had a system that could pull up any hour of any day from the past? I can think of a few moments that I would want to … [Read more...]
We Build Great Ships
“The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit.” ~ Samuel Gompers In the early years of Hackbarth Delivery Service, the company that my wife, Carol, and I founded, we are the first drivers making deliveries. Bayou la Batre, a small town in south Alabama, is one of the destinations for some of those shipments. This quaint seacoast community is home to shrimpers, boat builders and companies that provide coastal services. On this particular day, I am … [Read more...]
It’s Never Too Late
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot In December of 1963, my parents gather my three sisters and me into the living room of our home on McMillan Avenue, located in the West End of Birmingham, Alabama. They have an announcement. We hear that Dad has accepted a management job in his current company, which is good news. Then we hear that the new job is located in Jacksonville, Florida, over 400 miles away. We will move within a few weeks. For my sisters and me, … [Read more...]
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