About 10 days ago the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors met for our annual Planning Session. Rather than a three-day, out-of-town off site session filled with getting to know you games and exercises, we met for a full day at Canyon Oaks Country Club. (No, not on the golf course, in the meeting room). Beginning at 7:00 AM and working straight through lunch, the Chamber Board of Directors broke through the barriers of "we've always done it this way" and talked almost exclusively about what we value, who we represent, how we measure success and how we move ourselves forward.
It was an interesting and inspiring day, although it started out with a "start"! One of our directors is a professional trainer and corporate coach. He was all set to facilitate the day and had worked hard on an agenda and power point presentation to help us focus. For my part, I was simply to bring the board up-to-speed on our current financial situation, staffing and reorganization of activities. No problemo....I'm all set! Until the phone rang at 6:30 that morning just as I was packing up to head out the door. It was Scott reporting that he had the flu, including a temperature of 102. He wisely chose to stay home and would be keeping his germs to himself.
YIKES!! Facilitating the day just fell to me and I wasn't ready. Crikey...I'm in scramble mode.
Drove QUICKLY to my office to download an e-mail from Scott containing his PowerPoint slides. Drove QUICKLY back to Canyon Oaks to set up the program and projector. Said a little prayer and dove right in.
Thankfully, I have a very understanding Board of Directors, many of whom I've worked with in various capacities for many years, and several more that I have incriminating photos of, so all in all, they were ready to WORK WITH ME!
Long-story-long, we came up with the Top 3 Things We Value, the Top 3 Measures of Our Success and our list of The Best Idea We Heard All Day. In the next few weeks, I'll be blogging about these things in detail focusing primarily on the things we value.
Some folks might not realize that the Chamber of Commerce has a value system by which we judge the things we do. Values are important to our board and to me. It's my job as CEO to make sure we are living those values every day and I take that job seriously.
I hope you'll tune in and read about our values in the coming weeks. Not really a cliffhanger as exciting as who shot J.R. Ewing, but it should be interesting nonetheless.
Stay tuned.....
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Ode to Bear
I've been neglecting my Blog again. I think it's because I haven't been very inspired lately. Need to fix that.
Perhaps it's just because I've been really, really, did I say REALLY, busy lately. City Council meetings (please just vote on the Walmart and get it over with for cryin' out loud!), restructuring the Chamber of Commerce, twin daughters in their Senior year at Pleasant Valley High School, planning my sister's wedding for October 4 in my backyard, getting Deputized by the County to perform said wedding ceremony, and oh yeah, just trying to be a good wife.
It's been an interesting 6 weeks.
Yesterday something happened that did give me some inspiration to put some words down. My Mom and Dad's 12-year-old Chocolate Labrador Retriever died unexpectedly in his sleep. His name was Bear.
Yes, I know, he was a dog. But he wasn't just ANY dog. He was the most beautiful specimen of his breed I ever recall seeing. He should have been a "calendar dog", he was THAT handsome.
But more than that, he was the smartest, sweetest, most well-behaved animal I've ever been exposed to. Seriously. He never jumped up on you. He never licked your face. He didn't beg or whine or chew on things he wasn't supposed to. He would pack his own duffel-bag when he knew they were leaving for their cabin. No joke...he would bring his bag into the kitchen, wait for Mom to load up his food, cookies and leash, drag it out to the front yard and wait by the pick-up until it was time to go.
Bear was my Mom and Dad's constant companion for a dozen years. We delivered him as a birthday gift for Mom the year she retired from the bank. He was 8-weeks of cute, cuddly, brown, slobbery puppy, and the entire family fell in love. It sounds crazy, but he was almost like the son my folks never had, having survived raising three girls.
It's the craziest thing. I don't know that I've ever been as saddened by the loss of an animal before, not even those that I've raised myself from puppy/kitten-hood. Bear was special. He was so special that the majority of our family rallied to Mom and Dad's house to share in their grief. All three daughters, 1 son-in-law, 3 adult grandkids and two new great-grandkids, showed up to say goodbye to Bear. Clearly, he was more than just a canine.
I think he had the soul of a person behind those big brown eyes. He would stare at you when you spoke to him and it felt like he was looking right into your thoughts. I believe he truly had the capacity to love, and he loved all of us unconditionally. Not the "I know you feed me so I love you" kind of love. It was more like "I know what kind of person you really are, and I will love you until I die" kind of love. That's what makes me so sad. I feel like I've lost someone who really, truly loved me.
Imagine what kind of world we would live in if everyone took the time to look below your surface, like I will always believe Bear could. Imagine if we were accepted and treated as the soul we truly are, instead of the labels people place on us because of where we work, or who we associate with. If we could be as transparent with everyone we encounter as we are with our family (even if that family includes animals), would people have a harder time judging us harshly?
Don't really know where I'm going with this...I just know that I feel a little better doing it. I also know I will miss that dog for the rest of my life. Goodbye Bear...you were so very, very loved.
Perhaps it's just because I've been really, really, did I say REALLY, busy lately. City Council meetings (please just vote on the Walmart and get it over with for cryin' out loud!), restructuring the Chamber of Commerce, twin daughters in their Senior year at Pleasant Valley High School, planning my sister's wedding for October 4 in my backyard, getting Deputized by the County to perform said wedding ceremony, and oh yeah, just trying to be a good wife.
It's been an interesting 6 weeks.
Yesterday something happened that did give me some inspiration to put some words down. My Mom and Dad's 12-year-old Chocolate Labrador Retriever died unexpectedly in his sleep. His name was Bear.
Yes, I know, he was a dog. But he wasn't just ANY dog. He was the most beautiful specimen of his breed I ever recall seeing. He should have been a "calendar dog", he was THAT handsome.
But more than that, he was the smartest, sweetest, most well-behaved animal I've ever been exposed to. Seriously. He never jumped up on you. He never licked your face. He didn't beg or whine or chew on things he wasn't supposed to. He would pack his own duffel-bag when he knew they were leaving for their cabin. No joke...he would bring his bag into the kitchen, wait for Mom to load up his food, cookies and leash, drag it out to the front yard and wait by the pick-up until it was time to go.
Bear was my Mom and Dad's constant companion for a dozen years. We delivered him as a birthday gift for Mom the year she retired from the bank. He was 8-weeks of cute, cuddly, brown, slobbery puppy, and the entire family fell in love. It sounds crazy, but he was almost like the son my folks never had, having survived raising three girls.
It's the craziest thing. I don't know that I've ever been as saddened by the loss of an animal before, not even those that I've raised myself from puppy/kitten-hood. Bear was special. He was so special that the majority of our family rallied to Mom and Dad's house to share in their grief. All three daughters, 1 son-in-law, 3 adult grandkids and two new great-grandkids, showed up to say goodbye to Bear. Clearly, he was more than just a canine.
I think he had the soul of a person behind those big brown eyes. He would stare at you when you spoke to him and it felt like he was looking right into your thoughts. I believe he truly had the capacity to love, and he loved all of us unconditionally. Not the "I know you feed me so I love you" kind of love. It was more like "I know what kind of person you really are, and I will love you until I die" kind of love. That's what makes me so sad. I feel like I've lost someone who really, truly loved me.
Imagine what kind of world we would live in if everyone took the time to look below your surface, like I will always believe Bear could. Imagine if we were accepted and treated as the soul we truly are, instead of the labels people place on us because of where we work, or who we associate with. If we could be as transparent with everyone we encounter as we are with our family (even if that family includes animals), would people have a harder time judging us harshly?
Don't really know where I'm going with this...I just know that I feel a little better doing it. I also know I will miss that dog for the rest of my life. Goodbye Bear...you were so very, very loved.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tonight on WWF Smackdown...Health Care Reform!
Wednesday August 19 ought to be an interesting afternoon. From 11:30 to 12:45 we'll be at the Neighborhood Church to learn more about the President's Health Care Reform Bill during a discussion with Congressman Wally Herger. A health care discussion at a church? How did THAT happen?
The whole thing started out normal enough. Congressman Herger's office contacted us about gathering a group of business leaders to discuss the pending legislation. Easy enough. We put the word out to local businesses through a press release because I really didn't want to limit attendance to just Chamber members. Maybe hindsight really is 20/20.
Within days our conference room was at capacity with a big waiting list and more calls coming in every hour. Most of those who'd RSVP'd weren't Chamber members. Most weren't even business owners. They were just interested citizens. Okay, time to change gears.
Chamber staff went to work and arranged to have the event moved to the CARD Center, with a capacity of 250. Whew. Crisis averted...or was it??
Again, within days the room was booked at capacity with another large waiting list. The most interesting part was that many folks who called were annoyed because we didn't have room for them. Chamber staff members took more abuse that week than y'all can imagine. It was truly disheartening to me, however they all kept their cool and helped folks as best they could.
We thought things would settle down, but then out of nowhere, another e-mail announcement about the event from a group other than the Chamber started the ball rolling again. This time, people were really angry, like spitting venom angry, because we couldn't seat them.
So, on go the thinking caps again, and we call the largest room we can find, Neighborhood Church, who welcomed us with open arms for the event. With 1600 seats available, we should be able to accommodate just about everyone that wants to come out.
However my anxiety level remains high. If you've been watching the news over the last few weeks, you've seen how some of these Town Hall events go. Lots of shouting, lots of threats, not much accomplished. Man, I really don't want that to happen in Chico. We don't like to behave that way 'round these parts.
Clearly this is an emotional issue on both sides, but for Heaven's sake, screaming at each other is not a solution. I've written in this blog before about the level of anger out there. When you add this issue to the poor economy, many small business owners feel like they are losing control of their businesses and by extension, their lives. Network news provides daily reminders that the anger and frustration are real.
I have a couple of suggestions with regard to the health care brawl.
First, the Obama Administration should slow down. What's the rush, anyway? If this system has been screwed up for decades now, a few more months can't hurt. I understand that this is the way it is in politics...push as much through as fast as you can while you're approval ratings are high. (Where's the 'Change' in that?) It seems that the only people that understand this bill are the few that wrote it. Take some time to think it through, educate folks, give them time to digest it, listen to their suggestions and make this the best plan it can possibly be, not just the quickest. American's don't like to be force-fed anything, especially something this big and important. And please stop adding stuff to it that doesn't need to be there.
The second is that the 'other side' opposing this legislation should stop with the fear mongering. On the one hand you say it's too big and you haven't read it all yet. In the next sentence you're shouting about some God-awful provision you think will doom us all. So, did you read it or not. If you did, please just calmly explain what it says and offer alternatives to the parts you don't like. If you didn't read it yet, try skipping the next network news interview and read the darned thing. In other words, stop being obstructionists. We get enough of that from extremists, we don't need it from our representatives.
So can we just stop all this madness? Politicians, from the top levels of the administration on down, were elected to do the work of the people. From a 'people' perspective, you're failing miserably on health care. Why not put just a small portion of that brainpower and wordsmithing skill into helping companies put people back to work. Most American businesses don't need bailouts, handouts or politicians telling us how to run our companies. The best way to help American business is to get out of our way and stay out of our pockets.
There...I feel so much better now. And I didn't even raise my voice!
The whole thing started out normal enough. Congressman Herger's office contacted us about gathering a group of business leaders to discuss the pending legislation. Easy enough. We put the word out to local businesses through a press release because I really didn't want to limit attendance to just Chamber members. Maybe hindsight really is 20/20.
Within days our conference room was at capacity with a big waiting list and more calls coming in every hour. Most of those who'd RSVP'd weren't Chamber members. Most weren't even business owners. They were just interested citizens. Okay, time to change gears.
Chamber staff went to work and arranged to have the event moved to the CARD Center, with a capacity of 250. Whew. Crisis averted...or was it??
Again, within days the room was booked at capacity with another large waiting list. The most interesting part was that many folks who called were annoyed because we didn't have room for them. Chamber staff members took more abuse that week than y'all can imagine. It was truly disheartening to me, however they all kept their cool and helped folks as best they could.
We thought things would settle down, but then out of nowhere, another e-mail announcement about the event from a group other than the Chamber started the ball rolling again. This time, people were really angry, like spitting venom angry, because we couldn't seat them.
So, on go the thinking caps again, and we call the largest room we can find, Neighborhood Church, who welcomed us with open arms for the event. With 1600 seats available, we should be able to accommodate just about everyone that wants to come out.
However my anxiety level remains high. If you've been watching the news over the last few weeks, you've seen how some of these Town Hall events go. Lots of shouting, lots of threats, not much accomplished. Man, I really don't want that to happen in Chico. We don't like to behave that way 'round these parts.
Clearly this is an emotional issue on both sides, but for Heaven's sake, screaming at each other is not a solution. I've written in this blog before about the level of anger out there. When you add this issue to the poor economy, many small business owners feel like they are losing control of their businesses and by extension, their lives. Network news provides daily reminders that the anger and frustration are real.
I have a couple of suggestions with regard to the health care brawl.
First, the Obama Administration should slow down. What's the rush, anyway? If this system has been screwed up for decades now, a few more months can't hurt. I understand that this is the way it is in politics...push as much through as fast as you can while you're approval ratings are high. (Where's the 'Change' in that?) It seems that the only people that understand this bill are the few that wrote it. Take some time to think it through, educate folks, give them time to digest it, listen to their suggestions and make this the best plan it can possibly be, not just the quickest. American's don't like to be force-fed anything, especially something this big and important. And please stop adding stuff to it that doesn't need to be there.
The second is that the 'other side' opposing this legislation should stop with the fear mongering. On the one hand you say it's too big and you haven't read it all yet. In the next sentence you're shouting about some God-awful provision you think will doom us all. So, did you read it or not. If you did, please just calmly explain what it says and offer alternatives to the parts you don't like. If you didn't read it yet, try skipping the next network news interview and read the darned thing. In other words, stop being obstructionists. We get enough of that from extremists, we don't need it from our representatives.
So can we just stop all this madness? Politicians, from the top levels of the administration on down, were elected to do the work of the people. From a 'people' perspective, you're failing miserably on health care. Why not put just a small portion of that brainpower and wordsmithing skill into helping companies put people back to work. Most American businesses don't need bailouts, handouts or politicians telling us how to run our companies. The best way to help American business is to get out of our way and stay out of our pockets.
There...I feel so much better now. And I didn't even raise my voice!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
My husband is jealous of my GPS Man!
Another marathon day come and gone. Monday was a blur...meeting, meeting, budgets, board of directors nominations, meeting, meeting, drive to SAC airport to pick up teenage units, drive to Sausalito to drop off teenage units, sleep 5 hours, drive home to get to work! My life is so glamorous!
My husband and I are polar-opposites when it comes to traveling. He attempts to beat his personal best time every time we travel anywhere....even if he' s never been to that destination before. I like to take my time. He likes to arrive early to everything, I'm more of a right-on-time kind of gal. Because he's an Eagle Scout (honestly), you can give him a compass and a map and he'll navigate the straightest, flattest, bestest, quickest way to anywhere. Me, not so much. He says that watching me read a map is like watching a monkey do a math problem. He's probably right.
So, what does a resourceful, forward-thinking, organized gal do when she is navigationally challenged? Get GPS navigation on my cell phone of course! It's one of the best purchases I've ever made. Seriously.
The first thing I did was reprogram the voice from the moderately bitchy female voice it came with to a smooth-talking male genre. Much easier to take, especially when it says "you missed the turn....recalculating route". Female voices simply cannot pull-off that comment without crossing over to the world of annoying.
I now discretely smile when my handsome hubby ignores Mr. Sexy GPS voice and gets us lost, or worse...takes a route that costs us precious milliseconds of travel time. Clearly, I am passive-aggressive because I enjoy watching him try to outsmart my phone.
Wouldn't it be great if someone would invent a new application for our smart phones to help us navigate the new economy? Think about it...no more missed turns...no more bad decisions...just point the device to "success" and follow the smooth-talking voice to the end of the rainbow. Magic!
Now that would be a big seller. But it's about as likely as sinking a hole-in-one on the day you win the Lotto, just before you get struck by lightening. Yup...that slim.
I don't have a smooth-talking navigator to direct success, but I do have a database chock full of successful business people right here in Chico, and I happen to know many of them are happy to help others find their own way to success. It's called the Chico Chamber of Commerce. Navigate your way to our office in Downtown Chico and check us out. We're waiting to help YOU!
In the meantime, I'm going to try to find and even sexier voice for my GPS system. Does anyone know how I can download Sean Connery's accent....?
My husband and I are polar-opposites when it comes to traveling. He attempts to beat his personal best time every time we travel anywhere....even if he' s never been to that destination before. I like to take my time. He likes to arrive early to everything, I'm more of a right-on-time kind of gal. Because he's an Eagle Scout (honestly), you can give him a compass and a map and he'll navigate the straightest, flattest, bestest, quickest way to anywhere. Me, not so much. He says that watching me read a map is like watching a monkey do a math problem. He's probably right.
So, what does a resourceful, forward-thinking, organized gal do when she is navigationally challenged? Get GPS navigation on my cell phone of course! It's one of the best purchases I've ever made. Seriously.
The first thing I did was reprogram the voice from the moderately bitchy female voice it came with to a smooth-talking male genre. Much easier to take, especially when it says "you missed the turn....recalculating route". Female voices simply cannot pull-off that comment without crossing over to the world of annoying.
I now discretely smile when my handsome hubby ignores Mr. Sexy GPS voice and gets us lost, or worse...takes a route that costs us precious milliseconds of travel time. Clearly, I am passive-aggressive because I enjoy watching him try to outsmart my phone.
Wouldn't it be great if someone would invent a new application for our smart phones to help us navigate the new economy? Think about it...no more missed turns...no more bad decisions...just point the device to "success" and follow the smooth-talking voice to the end of the rainbow. Magic!
Now that would be a big seller. But it's about as likely as sinking a hole-in-one on the day you win the Lotto, just before you get struck by lightening. Yup...that slim.
I don't have a smooth-talking navigator to direct success, but I do have a database chock full of successful business people right here in Chico, and I happen to know many of them are happy to help others find their own way to success. It's called the Chico Chamber of Commerce. Navigate your way to our office in Downtown Chico and check us out. We're waiting to help YOU!
In the meantime, I'm going to try to find and even sexier voice for my GPS system. Does anyone know how I can download Sean Connery's accent....?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
How Many Rocket Scientists Does It Take....?
So, by now we've all heard the story about how someone at NASA 'taped over' the 1969 Moon Landing of Apollo 11. Wow...can you imagine the 'walk-of-shame' that guy made on his way to his supervisors office to explain how one of the most important events in human history no longer exists? Man, what a moment THAT must have been.
Honestly. What could they have been thinking? They spend half-a-million dollars on a pair of space gloves, but they can't afford to send someone to Radio Shack to buy a dozen blank tapes?
And what, exactly, was so darned important that they had to reuse a tape that contained footage of something of that magnitude? Were we creating history somewhere else in the world, or was there just a really great episode of The Monkeys on TV? I was a big fan of Davey Jones too, but good God man...use some common sense!!
I'm poking fun at someone I don't even know, which certainly isn't very gracious of me. In my defense, I'm just trying to find the humor in everything these days. I have to admit that my husband and I did have a good belly-laugh over this, though.
I wrote last week that I was concerned about the level of down-right anger there is out there. Could be the heat, could be the economy, but whatever it is I have vowed to put an end to it in my little corner of the world. I will continue to look for the funny side of whatever happens (unless it truly is a human tradgedy of course).
I will start by laughing at myself, often, and stop taking myself so seriously. Because truthfully, on the larger scale I'm not important enough to most people to be taken seriously anyway. I can always laugh at (and more importantly, with) my husband. Many people who know him don't realize that he is a truly funny guy with a dry sense of humor that can buckle my knees most days.
I probably won't laugh at my teenage daughters very often. As I've written before...they are seventeen-year-old high school seniors, and therefore have no discernible sense of humor. Most particularly when the humor is directed at them by an adult. Simply NOT funny!
I can laugh at my son, though. He's hysterical. If he weren't such a great firefighter he'd be a decent stand-up comedian.
Luckily, the folks that work at the Chamber all possess a jolly sense of humor. We laugh at each other all the time, and everyone takes it in stride. I usually laugh with and at Alice. She's a hoot...and tells us she is a self-proclaimed Bridget Jones. I would PAY to read her diary!
So, this post is going nowhere fast. I think I should just end by asking everyone to LIGHTEN UP FOR HEAVENS SAKE! Life's funny...find a laugh in it. When you're laughing, it's virtually impossible to be annoyed...let alone angry!
Now I'm off to Radio Shack to order a box of blank tape for NASA. They can use it to record new episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Honestly. What could they have been thinking? They spend half-a-million dollars on a pair of space gloves, but they can't afford to send someone to Radio Shack to buy a dozen blank tapes?
And what, exactly, was so darned important that they had to reuse a tape that contained footage of something of that magnitude? Were we creating history somewhere else in the world, or was there just a really great episode of The Monkeys on TV? I was a big fan of Davey Jones too, but good God man...use some common sense!!
I'm poking fun at someone I don't even know, which certainly isn't very gracious of me. In my defense, I'm just trying to find the humor in everything these days. I have to admit that my husband and I did have a good belly-laugh over this, though.
I wrote last week that I was concerned about the level of down-right anger there is out there. Could be the heat, could be the economy, but whatever it is I have vowed to put an end to it in my little corner of the world. I will continue to look for the funny side of whatever happens (unless it truly is a human tradgedy of course).
I will start by laughing at myself, often, and stop taking myself so seriously. Because truthfully, on the larger scale I'm not important enough to most people to be taken seriously anyway. I can always laugh at (and more importantly, with) my husband. Many people who know him don't realize that he is a truly funny guy with a dry sense of humor that can buckle my knees most days.
I probably won't laugh at my teenage daughters very often. As I've written before...they are seventeen-year-old high school seniors, and therefore have no discernible sense of humor. Most particularly when the humor is directed at them by an adult. Simply NOT funny!
I can laugh at my son, though. He's hysterical. If he weren't such a great firefighter he'd be a decent stand-up comedian.
Luckily, the folks that work at the Chamber all possess a jolly sense of humor. We laugh at each other all the time, and everyone takes it in stride. I usually laugh with and at Alice. She's a hoot...and tells us she is a self-proclaimed Bridget Jones. I would PAY to read her diary!
So, this post is going nowhere fast. I think I should just end by asking everyone to LIGHTEN UP FOR HEAVENS SAKE! Life's funny...find a laugh in it. When you're laughing, it's virtually impossible to be annoyed...let alone angry!
Now I'm off to Radio Shack to order a box of blank tape for NASA. They can use it to record new episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Temperature vs. Temper
Wow...it got really hot really fast. No big surprise. It's summer in NorCal. But I swear, as long as I've lived here (every one of my 49 years), I will never fall in love with the hot, hot weather. Anywhere below 95 degrees is tolerable, above that it's just sweaty, and not in a good way.
The heat makes a lot of folks cranky. No wonder. Your feet burn on the sidewalk, your legs stick to the seat of your car, your hair gets matted down and your clothes feel like lead. It's not pretty. But it's still no good reason to behave like an uncivilized boob!
I'm concerned by the level of anger I feel in the atmosphere lately. It might have something to do with the heat, tempers seem to rise with the temperature. But I think it's just as likely due to the uncertainty in our economy. It seems to be downright fearful out there. People are wondering..."will I still have a job tomorrow?"..."will my business survive?"..."where can I turn for help?"..."why won't that idiot hurry up and get out of the sidewalk so I can get to my meeting on time?"...(oops, that's a story for another blog entry).
A couple of things are certain. The first is that things will continue to be UNcertain for a while. The second is that getting angry with others is NOT going to help.
I would like the Chamber to be an oasis from the anger and fear. A place where folks who are concerned about the future can pull together and give each other a lift. It seems counter-intuitive to me to be fiercely competitive in a market like this. Competitors should be dropping their guard and offering a hand up to others. It sounds corny but it's true..."United We Stand, Divided We..."well, I don't even want to say it out loud.
So if you're feeling like you're on your own out there, come by and see us. We want to give you a lift, point you in a different direction, network you with some folks that can help. We won't just whistle a happy tune and pretend "it's all good", we will try to help you find some real solutions to your real challenges. Don't get mad....get connected!!
My goal is to keep a lid on the fear and anger no matter how high the temperature rises. To be more tolerant and kind. To be helpful whenever I can to whomever I can. And to hope everyone else will do the same.
Random thought....."Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be GRACIOUS if it kills you!" (Elsie De Wolfe).
If we can be gracious under pressure (and in 103 degree heat), we can do any damned thing we set our minds to. Take THAT, you lousy economy!!
The heat makes a lot of folks cranky. No wonder. Your feet burn on the sidewalk, your legs stick to the seat of your car, your hair gets matted down and your clothes feel like lead. It's not pretty. But it's still no good reason to behave like an uncivilized boob!
I'm concerned by the level of anger I feel in the atmosphere lately. It might have something to do with the heat, tempers seem to rise with the temperature. But I think it's just as likely due to the uncertainty in our economy. It seems to be downright fearful out there. People are wondering..."will I still have a job tomorrow?"..."will my business survive?"..."where can I turn for help?"..."why won't that idiot hurry up and get out of the sidewalk so I can get to my meeting on time?"...(oops, that's a story for another blog entry).
A couple of things are certain. The first is that things will continue to be UNcertain for a while. The second is that getting angry with others is NOT going to help.
I would like the Chamber to be an oasis from the anger and fear. A place where folks who are concerned about the future can pull together and give each other a lift. It seems counter-intuitive to me to be fiercely competitive in a market like this. Competitors should be dropping their guard and offering a hand up to others. It sounds corny but it's true..."United We Stand, Divided We..."well, I don't even want to say it out loud.
So if you're feeling like you're on your own out there, come by and see us. We want to give you a lift, point you in a different direction, network you with some folks that can help. We won't just whistle a happy tune and pretend "it's all good", we will try to help you find some real solutions to your real challenges. Don't get mad....get connected!!
My goal is to keep a lid on the fear and anger no matter how high the temperature rises. To be more tolerant and kind. To be helpful whenever I can to whomever I can. And to hope everyone else will do the same.
Random thought....."Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be GRACIOUS if it kills you!" (Elsie De Wolfe).
If we can be gracious under pressure (and in 103 degree heat), we can do any damned thing we set our minds to. Take THAT, you lousy economy!!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
7-8-9
Is neglecting your blog a criminal offense yet? It might be soon...I heard yesterday you can be arrested for drinking alcohol before you nurse your baby. Of course, if you're not smart enough NOT to drink excessive alcohol while feeding Jr., maybe being arrested isn't your biggest worry. But I digress....
I have been neglecting my Blog and I feel just horrible about it. Well maybe not horrible, but certainly lazy. I took a week vacation and went to the mountains with my handsome hubby. We had kids coming and going throughout the week and we thoroughly enjoyed being out of the valley during the over-100-degrees-days.
Back to work now and ready to train our new Concierge Corps! I'm really excited about this new program. We have been able to add some needed hours to our Visitor Center operation by enlisting some of the dedicated volunteers that are part of our Chamber Ambassadors and Board of Directors. What a swell bunch of folks...honestly...these are salt-of-the-earth kinds of people!
When I initially put out the call for volunteers to help us staff on Saturdays to greet visitors and help them find their way around, I was fully prepared to twist some arms. Happily, but not surprisingly, that was completely unnecessary! I simply asked the question "who wants to help" and dozens of hands flew into the air. So...braid my hair and call me Pollyanna...I think this idea is going to work. You have got to just LOVE Chico!
The summer is upon us although you can hardly tell by the "Chamber of Commerce Weather" we're enjoying. Tell all your out-of-town friends that if they don't visit Chico this summer, they're INSANE! It's so lovely here and there is SO MUCH TO DO! How much, you ask? Well come on down to the Chamber office and pick up one of our brand new "StayCation Central" itinerary brochures. It will give you all the tips you need to have a great time in-and-around Chico while you help bolster the local economy. If you come by on Saturday, you can say hello to one of our Concierge Corps!
On my honor, I will try, to do my best to not neglect my Blog. Especially on such a significant day as this. Today is 7-8-9.
What were you doing today at 12:34.56 PM on 07-08-09? (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9).
I was celebrating the arrival of my grand-nieces, Isabella Grace and Emma Rose, born at 12:20 this afternoon and tipping the scales at over 6 pounds each! Yep...you can call me Great-Auntie Jo. My niece Morgan did a stellar job delivering her two little beauties. Nicely done sweetheart, and welcome to the world you little angels!
I have been neglecting my Blog and I feel just horrible about it. Well maybe not horrible, but certainly lazy. I took a week vacation and went to the mountains with my handsome hubby. We had kids coming and going throughout the week and we thoroughly enjoyed being out of the valley during the over-100-degrees-days.
Back to work now and ready to train our new Concierge Corps! I'm really excited about this new program. We have been able to add some needed hours to our Visitor Center operation by enlisting some of the dedicated volunteers that are part of our Chamber Ambassadors and Board of Directors. What a swell bunch of folks...honestly...these are salt-of-the-earth kinds of people!
When I initially put out the call for volunteers to help us staff on Saturdays to greet visitors and help them find their way around, I was fully prepared to twist some arms. Happily, but not surprisingly, that was completely unnecessary! I simply asked the question "who wants to help" and dozens of hands flew into the air. So...braid my hair and call me Pollyanna...I think this idea is going to work. You have got to just LOVE Chico!
The summer is upon us although you can hardly tell by the "Chamber of Commerce Weather" we're enjoying. Tell all your out-of-town friends that if they don't visit Chico this summer, they're INSANE! It's so lovely here and there is SO MUCH TO DO! How much, you ask? Well come on down to the Chamber office and pick up one of our brand new "StayCation Central" itinerary brochures. It will give you all the tips you need to have a great time in-and-around Chico while you help bolster the local economy. If you come by on Saturday, you can say hello to one of our Concierge Corps!
On my honor, I will try, to do my best to not neglect my Blog. Especially on such a significant day as this. Today is 7-8-9.
What were you doing today at 12:34.56 PM on 07-08-09? (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9).
I was celebrating the arrival of my grand-nieces, Isabella Grace and Emma Rose, born at 12:20 this afternoon and tipping the scales at over 6 pounds each! Yep...you can call me Great-Auntie Jo. My niece Morgan did a stellar job delivering her two little beauties. Nicely done sweetheart, and welcome to the world you little angels!
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