2 colored Easter eggs from our family decorating tradition this year hidden in the midst of other eggs. Can you find them?
Many of my readers know that traditions and memories are special in our family, and especially so to me. Easter is one of those. Easter was the holiday Mike was in charge of, until recent years. Mike was the one who planned and handled all the details of the dying of Easter eggs. He has now passed that responsibility on to the next generation.
Six-year-old grandson Drew and Nana decorating eggs.
This year, our daughter Chatham and son-in-law Johnathan handled the preparations while grandson Drew and I did the egg dying. I think this was the first year that everyone present did not dye their own, and others’, eggs. I do not know why that happened. It wasn’t planned; it just happened. But although the process this year was different, the tradition held; those of us who could made time to dye Easter eggs as a family.
Drew grew this bean from a seed! Can you find it?
Daughter Tara and family could not be with us this year for egg dying or for Easter because they are traveling in the UK and preparing daughter Mary Grace for her semester of study at Oxford University.
Nineteen-month-old granddaughter Hayden wasn’t interested in egg decorating, but she was present nonetheless.
It is fine for traditions to change as the years change. What we should try to do, however, is keep traditions alive. Traditions bind us to our history, and the memories that are created from those times center us in ways nothing else does.
Easter egg decorating 2021 with granddaughters (L to R) Virginia, Mary Grace, and Elsie at a lodge in Georgia. Easter egg decorating 2019 with the grandchildren the last time we decorated eggs at our home in Raleigh.
As you peruse my family’s photos of some of our traditions, think not of our traditions, but of your own family’s traditions. Keep the memories alive. When we are no longer here to share in those times, if we have kept traditions alive, our spirit will live on in the memories we helped create.
Have a wonderful Easter week. Let us remember the reason for the Easter season to Christians is not about egg dying at all. It is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Some of you who have followed my writings may be familiar with my Personality quiz, It’s in the SAUCE! I developed this tool almost thirty years ago while working with a national company hired to do management development with their general managers and sales managers.
Although I have always believed that people can change, behavior change isn’t easy or quick, and this was the kind of change these managers needed to make. Part of my responsibility as the consultant was to determine the areas of focus for their management development plans.
Many of these managers had been hired and promoted because of their ability to drive operations and sales, which at the time were necessary qualities for success. But that was changing quickly. Soon, those who would be successful would be leading knowledge workers in a collaborative environment. “Driver” behaviors would need to transition to influencing the behavior of others. This is even more true today than it was then.
This is an example of the personalized summary each person who completes the questionnaire receives of their data.
One day almost thirty years ago I sat down in a conference room in one of the company’s businesses in Florida. I thought about what behaviors would be necessary for managers responsible for leading and developing others instead of controlling others. I decided to develop a quiz identifying those necessary behaviors. I wanted to keep the tool simple and quick to take. This many years later I still do not know where the twenty questions that came to me came from, other than obviously from my creative side.
The tool was then administered to the managers. This was a tool that one could not fail. Its purpose was to identify the match between the necessary behaviors and the individual managers, and then to develop a management development plan focused on the most necessary behaviors in need of improvement.
Personality profiling has its roots in early attempts to understand human behavior. Formal personality assessment tools began to emerge in the early 1920’s. These tools have been used in recent years by organizations to recruit and develop those who have the potential to succeed. They are also used by individuals interested in their own development.
There are many different tools on the market, some more common than others. Some of the tools are very complex. The strength of It’s in the SAUCE is its simplicity as well as its accuracy. Of the many people who have been tested on SAUCE, most say their data is “spot on.” One of the important aspects of Its in the SAUCE is that the individual accepts their data as valid before a plan based on the data is developed.
Individuals who take SAUCE for their own purposes can understand their talents and make good decisions regarding their careers and even relationships. After all, should we not be at least as interested in ourselves and our own development as our employer is? With more knowledge, it is possible that some would choose different employers and even different careers.
A few SAUCE questions for you to answer. One question is: “I need action more than predictability.” Another is: “The opinion of others is important to me.” Another is: “I like giving direction to others.” These three questions are some of the questions that evaluate dominance. If your answers to these three questions are yes, no, and yes, in that order, those answers provide important insight about you related to dominance. Now, don’t jump to the bottom line too quickly! You need more information to understand what your answers mean. And there is so much more.
The It’s in the SAUCE tool will inform you, enlighten you, and inspire you. It will help you find the best fit for your career, relationships, and many more aspects of life and living. I would love to show you more about it. Just let me know when you are ready.
With the recent advent of Daylight Savings Time, it seems that Spring has already sprung. Daylight savings Time arrived in all U.S. states except Arizona and Hawaii on Sunday, March 10th. Although all of us do not appreciate that it is dark later in the morning, many do enjoy the daylight longer in the evenings. Although Spring does not officially arrive until Tuesday, March 19th. Since our days of daylight are now longer, we are already ready for the new season. An important question is, “What will we do with this new season?”
As one who knows that planning is critical to accomplishing what we want, it is time for us to plan this second quarter of the year. The days and weeks will pass whether we plan them or not. We can accomplish more of what we want if we plan. The plan is more likely to be accomplished if it is in writing. Yes, I know it is easy to resist taking the time to put our plans into writing. But trust me on this. We have too much in our heads already to add anything more to it and expect to accomplish what is important to us. So, let’s write it down!
One example of Goals; one that I developed that I use with clients.
Let’s make this simple. Thinking of the next three months, April, May, and June; what do you want to accomplish in these three months? A simple way to think about this is to identify a goal or more for each month. It is most effective to focus on the last month first and determine what your goal is for the end of the quarter. I will give an example of this.
A great book!
I have regained fifteen of the fifty-seven pounds I lost a couple of years ago. I know this is a dangerous trend, and that if I don’t change this progression, I could be back to where I started before losing my weight. It is time to change this trend. So, my goal for this quarter is to lose fifteen pounds by June 30th, which is 13 weeks beginning April 1. So, to do that, I decided to set a goal of losing one pound a week. Since I have two weeks left in March and I am getting started now, I can lose 2 pounds before April 1, and the total is amazingly so, fifteen pounds! I am committing this to writing so you can be my accountability partners!
Breaking our goals down in this manner makes them seem more achievable. Any of us who are serious about losing weight can lose one pound a week. It will be easier at the beginning of the three months than it will be closer to the end, but if I stay committed, I will accomplish my goal.
Enough about me. What goal(s) do you want to accomplish in the next three months? Will you commit the goal(s) to writing, and create a plan to accomplish what is important to you to change? I would love to hear about it and be an accountability partner for you.
I wish you great success on your journey to being your best, not just in the next three months, but going forward from there!
Once again, I find myself searching for things, such as car keys, lipstick, and various other things. I have long since known why I can’t find such simple things. I do not put them in the same place. Also, I have so much other stuff in the way of where I put things, that I am too often having to wade through different colors of lipstick to find the one I want. I know the solution, and so do you. Getting and staying organized is the solution.
Getting organized is simple, but not necessarily easy. Staying organized is hard. It takes time to get and stay organized. But we waste so much time when we aren’t organized that the time it takes to get organized is worth the time investment.
Less time looking for things means more time for cappuccino!
The issue of having so much stuff that it is hard to be organized is another problem. Take lipstick, for instance. I would hate to know how many tubes of lipstick I have. And I use one or two most of the time. But the thought of culling the lipstick supply is more than I can do. What if I decide to wear some of the other colors in the future? It doesn’t make sense to get rid of something I might need in the future. Or does it? It does indeed make sense. If I am only using one or two colors, why not just get rid of the rest?
Our influence is one of the greatest gifts we give others. Let’s make it a positive one.
What about socks? I have so many socks that my sock drawer overflows, yet I only wear a few pairs. I have thought about getting rid of clothes and other things, such as socks, that I haven’t worn during the fall and winter seasons. If I haven’t worn them this year, what is the likelihood that I will wear them next year? Not much.
Back to keys. The solution to not being able to find car keys is to put them in the same place every time. Every single time. This includes putting them in the same place in my purse, so I don’t have to take everything out to find them. It also includes putting them in the same place in the house. Having a key hanger near the door we usually come in is one solution, but a bowl in that same area is sufficient. Leaving them on the counter in the midst of other stuff is not as good of a solution.
Being organized gives us more time for a cup of tea or cappuccino and a good book!
The tagline for my business, and my passion, is “Inspiring Positive Change in Work, Life and Family.” Some of my writings are heavy, and some are light. This one I consider light, but nonetheless important. Time is the most important resource that we have. We should do everything we can to not waste time.
We can save lots of time that we are spending looking for stuff if we get and stay organized. I’m in. How about you?
Most of us struggle with it, at least sometimes. The “it” is procrastination. Procrastination takes many forms. At its core is the putting off until tomorrow, or forever, what we do not want to do but need to do. If we are putting off doing something that does not need to be done, we should not think of it as procrastination.
The “need” word related to procrastination is tricky. I have a good example. I had a pile of laundry that needed to be ironed. The pile included linen pillowcases, linen hand towels, small linen and cotton gift bags, dresser scarfs, and a few other items. Some of those items were for our personal use, and some were to be sold from my antiques and gifts business. The fact that these items were not ironed was not really a problem; there was no “need” to do this ironing. But there was a need to make a decision about ironing the items and putting them away, or not ironing them and getting rid of them. The way they were being kept only created clutter, and clutter blocks us from serenity.
# 2 on a list of behaviors we need to get rid of.
The pile had been hidden in a cabinet in my laundry room for months. When I cleaned that cabinet out a couple of weeks ago, I decided that the items that needed to be ironed would be ironed. So, I took that pile and put it in plain view in another room, hoping the mere sight of it would shame me into ironing. That did not work. I walked around that pile for a couple of weeks. I did not allow myself to move the pile. I knew that eventually I would tire of it being in plain view and would do something with it. During these two weeks, I almost put the pile away without any of it being ironed. But I resisted that and left it there. I found success with my procrastination this weekend.
Starched and ironed linens.
On Sunday afternoon, still not wanting to iron but having nothing else that I needed to do, I decided to face the demon and at least get started on the ironing. I told myself that I would iron a few pieces, and if I did not want to finish everything, then I would decide what to do with the rest. I knew that if I got started, I would likely want to finish the job.
We would do well to no longer procrastinate getting rid of clutter.
So, I ironed about half of the items, prioritizing those items that I wanted to sell. Then I stopped. I left the un-ironed pieces where they were, wanting to finish the job Monday morning. I knew if I put them away, they would not get ironed for many more months. If that happened the world would not stop, but I would not be happy with myself. Monday morning, I finished the ironing job.
To say I am proud of myself for finishing this ironing is an understatement. I conquered the procrastination demon and completed a task that should have been completed months ago. Now, I am on a roll, and want to complete other tasks that I have been avoiding doing. That is how this works. One success often leads to another. Once we force ourselves to get active and do something we need to do, we have more energy to do more. When we allow ourselves to slouch around, the same thing happens; there is more slouching around.
Now, procrastination with ironing may not be your challenge, but I bet there is something you have been putting off doing. That is likely hanging over you, draining your energy. You think about it too much. But you still do not do it. Why? There are several reasons.
Sometimes we procrastinate doing something that we really do not want to do, and do not need to do. And we can likely all agree that most of us have more to do than we can get done. So, it is easy to not do some things. If this is our challenge, we need to decide whether we are going to do this, or not. We can give ourselves permission to take this off our “to do” list. Making this decision is not a failure. It is taking action. We can free this time up for other, more important things that do need to get done. Sometimes we procrastinate because the task we are avoiding seems so large and we do not even know how to get started. If this is the case, we need to break the task down into manageable pieces, decide how long each aspect of it will take, and just get started. We should plan the task in time chunks, deciding when and how to complete it. This sounds simple, and it really is, but it isn’t easy. I know that you know the difference between simple and easy. In my Weight Watcher’s meeting on Saturday, the leader made the statement. “Research shows humans like to do what’s easy.” Sometimes we fail to even get started on a task because it is easier not to!
This is not intended to be a thorough analysis of Procrastination. Nor is it intended to highlight my recent success with ironing. The point of this is to bring to my readers’ attention a nudge regarding their procrastination issues.
I will stop here, so you have time to attack your procrastination issues. Reading about the subject is not nearly as effective as taking action.
Let me confess first. It isn’t going great for me. I have gained a few pounds, I have not been walking, and have yet to get completely serious about reducing debt. But I am back on a plan.
I have long known that I need structure. That is why Weight Watchers works for me as a weight management tool. As a Lifetime WW member, I must weigh in once a calendar month and not gain more than two pounds over my goal weight to maintain my Lifetime status. If I meet these criteria, I can attend WW meetings and take advantage of all of its offerings without paying. If I do not meet those criteria, I must start paying to participate. That alone is an incentive for me to work the plan. But once again here I am at the end of the month, having to drastically reduce my caloric intake to meet my goal in the next few days. And as you know, February is a short month!
How very true this is!
My walking plan has suffered due to the cold weather. Now that is an excuse. I can walk in cold weather, although I prefer not to. Then I can get myself to an indoor mall, which I have not done. But I did start my walking routine yesterday. Since I have only one day of success, I can’t brag about this progress. But we know that getting started is the hardest part. It seems that due to some other priorities, I will miss today. That means I will need to walk twice another day!
Regarding debt reduction, that is actually going better than my weight and exercise. I am no longer charging certain items, such as groceries, on a credit card that isn’t paid off each month. In fact, I am not charging anything on a credit card that isn’t paid off each month. As I have mentioned previously, the changes needed to reduce my debt, eventually eliminating it, will be tough. It is tough. But so am I.
How is it going for you with your New Year’s Resolutions/Commitments? I hope that you are excelling! If, however, you are like me and have not made as much progress as you want, it is time to get serious. With the end of February approaching quickly, we have ten months left in this year.
I have read this book, and it is great!
Where do you want to be at the end of 2024? Go back and review your commitments to yourself. Decide what needs to change.
Valentine’s Day just passed, and I hope you had a loving one. Whether your day was filled with flowers, chocolates, dinner out or in, hopefully, you were able to celebrate with someone you love. On this one day set aside to honor love, even if you did not celebrate at all, if you were safe, you were more fortunate than some.
For some in Kansas City, love was not enough. On a day set aside to honor the most recent Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, gunmen opened fire, killing one person and injuring twenty-one others, some critically. By the time this blog is read, those numbers may have changed.
I have wondered before what circumstances make a hero and a criminal. I wonder about that again. Of course, there is no easy answer to this. There is sometimes mental illness involved in those who commit terrible crimes. But that is not always the case. Some people do terrible things, even criminal things, who are not mentally ill. Some people commit such actions who are just mean. “Mean” does not seem like a strong enough word for someone who commits terrible acts of violence. Let’s call this person contemptible.
Our words have a lot to do with how someone feels about themselves, right or wrong.
I am not really trying to answer this question that begs to be answered, even if there are no simple answers to the question. And I am not really making the Kansas City parade the reference point to this question. There are numerous examples of horrific actions caused by contemptible people. What I am questioning is what place love plays in how we turn out.
What is love, even? We just celebrated the romantic definition of love. But romantic love is not the kind of love that makes us feel safe. Romantic love is not the kind of love that keeps us from hurting others.
I am not generalizing violence caused, even in part, by a lack of love of any kind. I am only wondering if there is a connection between love, nurturing love that makes us feel safe, to treating others with love, not hate.
What does love have to do with it? A question without an easy answer. But definitely a question that needs exploration.
As one who has experienced significant Change in the past few years, one would think that I would be used to Change. But not. While I know at a surface level that the only constant is Change, I still struggle when I am experiencing Change, especially major Change. Of course, you might be thinking, why would I not know that?
Since I started my business in 1992, thirty-two years ago, I have been a speaker and consultant, a teacher and a student of the subject of Change. I know the research on Change, or at least, much of it. I have taught others how to successfully deal with Change, helping them navigate Change waters individually, as teams, and as organizations. I have tried to walk my talk on this, not just talk my walk. Yet still, I struggle.
My readers have walked through some of these changes with me, the most dramatic being the sale of our primary home, and our downsizing into a much smaller and very different home a little over a year ago. I am still dealing with that. While it is true that time helps us to cope with loss, we are never the same at our core when we experience major Change, especially when the Change was mainly chosen because it was the practical decision to make, for those in our age group and with our circumstances.
My loved van. You can’t see the extensive damage.
Recently, other unwanted changes have come our way. Mike and I have had both of our vehicles totaled by our insurance company since September. Mike’s vehicle was totaled from an accident that involved only him in September. He was not hurt, thankfully. While our insurance company initially totaled his car, we decided to keep it and have it repaired, and we are glad that we did.
Mike and I were in my van stopped at a traffic light on December 23rd when a driver in another car who was apparently going too fast and driving recklessly caused an accident involving seven vehicles. Mike and I were not hurt, (although some others were) but my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica van was totaled. Since the damage was so significant and the van had approximately 230,000 miles on it, we decided that it made sense to not attempt to have that vehicle repaired. While I loved that van and hoped to drive it another year or two, I was soon in the market for a new, or rather, previously owned, vehicle. The question became, what type of vehicle did I want? Or rather, regardless of what I might want, what type of vehicle made sense for me at this point in my life?
I was clear about two things related to my vehicle search. I wanted a vehicle that runs fine on regular unleaded gas, not premium. And I wanted a vehicle with more recent safety features, such as a backup camera and side and lane-changing warning lights and sounds. And while I had had a van for many years and loved the ability to carry furniture and other stuff (for my side business, antiques, and gifts,) my family and friends convinced me that it was time for a smaller vehicle. While I agreed that it was time for a smaller vehicle, the question became, how much smaller?
Without going into all of the whys and wherefores of my final decision, I am now the driver of a 2021 Honda CR-V, Touring. While it is smaller than my earlier choices, I have decided that it is right for me. It has enough room for hauling most of the stuff I need to haul at my age, and the few times a year that I need a larger vehicle, I can rent one, or borrow one. That is my logical side talking. My emotional side misses my van terribly. While this is not a change the magnitude of selling our primary home, it is a major change for one who has driven, and loved, larger vehicles for many years.
My new car!
I have heard only positive feedback from others about Hondas in general and Honda CR-Vs in particular. Having driven my new car for a week now, I have had a positive experience with it. It is much easier to drive than my van, and it has enough room for Mike and me and what we should be carrying to and fro. While it will take us some time to learn how to use all of its bells and whistles, I am enjoying one of those. My iPhone charges without plugging it into an outlet; there is a pad that charges it. Now, that is cool!
One of the selling features at Carmax where I purchased the Honda was a thirty-day (not to exceed 1500 miles) return for a full refund. While I have only driven the Honda a week, I have not allowed myself to calculate the miles. I do not want to be tempted to return it. It drives fine, it has some important safety features that I want, and there are entirely too many choices to consider if I decide this vehicle isn’t the one for me. I am tired of the car buying process, although my salesperson at Carmax, Mamadu, was excellent.
While he has no idea how many miles I have driven, I am sure Mamadu is watching the calendar for my month allowing a return of the Honda to end. So am I.
Judy and Tom Boone dancing as the Band, I-42 from Eastern NC, played Beach Music.
Mike and I traveled to Wilson, NC last Saturday for our annual Wilson Cotillion Ball. We were living in Wilson in the mid-eighties, and we were one of the thirteen original couples who started the Cotillion. Although Mike and I moved to Raleigh in 1987, we have stayed involved in the Cotillion. We enjoy going back to Wilson for the annual Ball and the two informal dancing events each year.
Dan and Paula Michalak, more recent members of the Cotillion, who epitomize “Dancing the Night Away!”Branch and Kim Benton.
There is some difference of opinion about how many years we have been together in the Wilson Cotillion but suffice it to say that it is almost forty, and depending on how it is counted, it may even be 40. Regardless of the number of people with the most agreement about our tenure, that is a very long time!
Diane and Ashley Hooks, who left Cabo early to be at the Ball!
The Cotillion was the brainchild of our dancing teacher, Gene Barnes. Gene was a well-respected dancer, whose career included teaching dancing in New York and performing on off-Broadway. He was also the uncle of one of our friends, Judy Boone. Judy and her husband Tom are also one of the original thirteen couples. Gene taught many of us ballroom dancing and birthed the Cotillion idea, but unfortunately, he passed away soon before our first Ball. Those of us who knew and loved Gene have him on our minds and hearts as we dance in his memory and honor.
(L to R) Kim Benton, Mike, Vicky Collie, and Richard Collie. Kim, Mike, and Vicky are all inaugural Cotillion members.
We have grown from the original thirteen couples to our number most years being fifty couples. Life and circumstances have changed for some of the original thirteen couples. At Saturday night’s Ball, we only had three of the original thirteen couples: the Boones, Kim and Branch Benton, and us, and two other spouses of deceased members from that group.
Ellen and Bowie Gray, younger Cotillion members!
What keeps a group like the Wilson Cotillion still going strong for so many years? The most important variable for a dancing club is dancing, and having great bands has knitted the group together. There has also been good leadership in our group, with different people serving in the various necessary roles.
Nancy Barber, from one of the original 13 couples. Nancy’s husband John passed away a few years ago.Gerald and Phyllis Renfrow, who come back for the Cotillion from Beaufort.
Then there is the issue of new blood. New members are invited to join by current members. Were it not for current members being happy with their experience, staying involved, and inviting others to join, the Wilson Cotillion would have died a natural death many years ago. And of course, new blood comes with new ideas, so the organization has changed as it has evolved. Some of the growing pains have been uncomfortable at times, but the strength of the collective has withstood those changes.
Patti and Mike Fralix, honored to be with the Wilson Cotillion for (I think it is!) 40 years!
I hope you have wonderful history with friends like we have in the Wilson Cotillion, perhaps even dancing together! Although the moves of those of us in our later years aren’t as nimble as they were even ten years ago, much less forty, we keep moving and dancing the night away!
I so appreciate my cousin Garry’s kindness in reaching out to me, for connecting, after so many years have passed. He could not have, and he didn’t have to, but he did.
I am by no means an expert on social media. I am an infrequent user of Facebook and Instagram. I have never been on TikTok. And that is the extent of my knowledge of social media platforms. But tonight, I am grateful for Facebook being used to connect me to a family member I have not heard from or about in more than fifty years!
I need to reconnect with these cousins. Do you know which one is me?
I had a message on Facebook from a cousin who is now in his mid-fifties, who I have not heard about (and never heard from before) since he was a young child. He reached out, just checking in, wanting to connect. He lost a daughter in her late teens to cancer recently. His words, “I realize more now than ever before how important family is and some people make a lasting impression” touched me at the core. After going back and forth on Facebook Messenger, we decided to talk by phone later this week and catch up more.
I look forward to reconnecting with that side of my family after so many years. The reason that this part of my family has not been in contact for many years is not as important as the fact that one person cared enough to reach out and connect, after even more than fifty years. It is never too late, as long as there is breath. And as long as one person cares enough to do so.
What does family mean to you? Do you have family members with whom you are disconnected, physically and/or emotionally? You may think you do not need to be connected to some of your family, and maybe you don’t. But what is there to lose by doing so? And it is possible that there is much to gain.
A wonderful way to remember a lost loved one.
It only takes one person to start the chain reaction of connection. Could that be you?
