Hump Daaay!

It's not very often that I admit to liking commercials. I grew up in the military and, as most anyone can tell you, commercials on the Armed Forces Network (AFN) were, well let's just say they were memorable but it's not necessarily a good thing :)

Then there are commercials you remember because you really like them. For me, it's a recent GEICO commercial. I generally hate the phrase "Hump Day", but thanks to GEICO it has certainly grown on me. If you've not seen this commercial, you're (in my opinion) missing out on a chance to smile! Take a look: GEICO "Happier than a camel on hump day"

There have been other commercials in my life that have stuck with me. Those that made me cry, like the Budweiser 9/11 tribute, or heck, any Budweiser commerical with the Clydesdales can make me stop what I'm doing and watch a commercial. There are those that make me laugh or smile like any of the Old Spice Guy commercials, but this one in particular Your man could smell like me, or anything with little kids, but this Darth Vader Volkswagen one is pretty cute. Then, we could really go old school with the Budweiser "Whass Up?" commercials.

Basically, commercials are part of life, and if the marketing/advertising people get it right, we'll be talking about some commercials for the rest of our lives! So, Guess what day it is. Guess what day it is! It's Hump Daaaaay!

How is it possible to feel this way?

There are people everywhere, co-workers, family, friends... so how is it possible to feel isolated and lonely?

Perhaps it's not about the number of people one has around them, but the quality of those relationships. Maybe there isn't anyone like me, anywhere, and maybe that's not a bad thing sometimes, but sometimes people just need to know they matter.

Don't take people for granted. If they are important to you, make the effort to let them know that because, one day, they might not be in your life at all. If that's ok with you, you are probably in a good place. If it's not, reach out before those you are ignoring simply stop caring about you. 

Embrace each moment

I spent this past weekend with a friend I hadn't seen in a LONG time. Saturday morning, we were supposed to get up early and photograph the sunrise, over the beach, in St. Augustine.

I LOVE photographing sunrises (well, to be honest, I love to photograph almost anything!) and I had every intention of getting up early and getting the perfect shot, but that darn alarm let me turn it off and it didn't kick me out of bed! So I overslept and missed a BEAUTIFUL sunrise.

When we did finally get going, I said "well, there will be another sunrise tomorrow" and my friend said something like "hopefully" and I thought nothing of it at the time.

Then I remembered that Kidd Kraddick, a much loved radio DJ and philanthropist had died the day before, very unexpectedly and at a very young age and I thought, what if I'm not promised another sunrise tomorrow?

No one is guaranteed a future, we are only guaranteed a present. We need to embrace each and every moment we're given and live for the moment! Tell your loved ones how much you love them, let people know how you feel and leave nothing unsaid!

Friendship and Diversity

I'm a military brat, and damn proud of it. Growing up, in that way of life, is something I will never regret and something I never take for granted. I've been places others will never get the chance to go and done things others will never get the chance to do.

I also learned to make friends quickly, but at the same time, you subconsciously hold those people at a distance without even thinking of it. I mean, why put yourself in a position to have your heart broken every three years (or more) when it's time for someone to move? Well, as I've gotten older, and been out of the military lifestyle longer and longer, I hold my friends closer and closer, perhaps because it becomes harder to make them?

I had the opportunity, this week, to attend some training in Florida. I never intended to make friends, that wasn't the purpose of my visit, but perhaps it's second nature to me, and I found it difficult to not bond with some of my classmates.

Here you have 22 women, all thrown together in one class for a week, away from home, and talking about some controversial things. With 22 different opinions, backgrounds, nationalities, histories, etc. it seemed like a recipe for a giant mess. However, over the course of the week, I found myself bonding with some of these remarkable women and making friends. We had a common goal - to understand diversity in the workplace and to work to make our workplaces an enjoyable and fair place for all to come work. Simple? Not quite!

I, like many of my classmates, had some serious frustration this week, with both people and the subject matter. My frustration with certain people came from not understanding where they were coming from, not knowing their history, their abilities, etc. What I found was that, yes we're all different, but we all struggle and, while I didn't plan on making friends or becoming attached to anyone this week, it was hard for me to say goodbye to some of my new friends. I plan to stay connected with some of them, but even if those plans fall apart, those women left footprints on my heart and I will never forget them.

My hope is that they all go forward and enjoy success in their lives and their careers, and that perhaps one day, we'll meet up again, because they were all truly remarkable!