You can't always get what you want

But if you're nice enough, you can bribe what you need....

I had a large item delivered to my house today. The delivery contract was clear- curb side delivery.

The driver told me that since we were nice, he could haul it the extra 100 metres to the house.

Once he got it to the house, I asked him if I gave him a couple of dollars if he could bring it directly to its location. No questions asked,  he was happy to drop it off at its final resting place. He's richer, I'm happy. I didn't need to call a favour from a friend.

Good old underground economy still works like a charm.  Thank you paper money. I'm glad you still exist.

Excuse me sir may I have some more?

The title character in Charles Dickens famous novel "Oliver Twist" was still hungry and wanted a second helping of food.

I am constantly hungry for more. Not the materialistic more. I want more education, more love, more compassion, more cooperation, and even more service. In this poor service society, we could all use a bit more.

A call was made to a government agency on Tuesday morning. I got a call back Wednesday morning. Without a phone number, I had to phone the call centre for a second time. I left my phone number and got a second return call back this morning. Not able to answer at the time of the call, again no phone number to return the call, I will have to go through a call centre again. How many times will I do this before I give up completely?

Today I visited three different hardware stores looking for help. The customer service at all three can not be considered bad. Is the new acceptable standard just not to be bad?

Here's what happened. The first store has locations throughout the world. They are huge. I asked where I could find my desired product. The man dressed in orange pointed me in the right direction barely stopping his step as he walked in the opposite direction. When I found my prize, I waited 15 minutes for someone else to come along to help me out further. No one did. Even though I was ready to buy that product, I left the store empty handed.

The second store is a regional organization. Not as big as the first, usually better priced, it's usually where I go. I knew where to find my prize this time so there was no need to ask for directions. There was a salesperson close by. He was very helpful and pointed out that I could actually buy a partial box instead of a full box. Nice touch I thought. I was also looking for a second item and he told me they didn't carry that product line. Imagine my dismay as I exited the store when I came across the supposed section that did not exist. The service at the second store was much better than the first store. But the fact the salesperson wasn't knowledgeable enough to help me complete my purchases, I left unhappy again.

I went on to the third store. This store is a part of a franchise network. It is national in scope but locally owned and operated. As I was browsing the section of my desire, a salesman approached and asked if I needed help. Upon informing him of my desired prize, he immediately told me that they didn't carry the product in store, but maybe they had it on-line. He spent the next 5 minutes browsing his inventory list trying to find a match for my search. While I waited for those 5 minutes I felt someone was actually knowledgeable, friendly, and trying to take care of me.. I observed similar interactions between other customers with the sales staff. The conversations were not just friendly they were almost family-like.

The third store was the best of the three. It's the smallest of the three. It's the more expensive of the three. It also has the most inconvenient location of the three. But if this is the type of service I get the next time I need something, they will win a loyal customer.

I shouldn't have to ask for more. As a store owner, you need to know we are service deprived... But if you give me more service, I'll return that with more business.

Sounds simple, yet almost no one is doing it...

Who are you?

If someone were to ask you who you are, what would you say?

Would you say your name?
Would you describe the job that you perform or your job title?
Would talk about being a loving parent or a loyal spouse?
Would you talk about your community involvement?
Would you try to describe yourself by including age, gender, or maybe sexual orientation?

All these answers are considered labels. We use labels as identification with self? Labels are used to support our egos. They're all fake.

What if you weren't allowed to use a label to describe who you are. What would you say then?

This is the type of stuff I think about.

Be brave. Message me with an answer to the question without using a label and I'll share who I think I am.

Who are you?

Living for today

Life passes by like a speeding schoolbus. One minute, we're  unable to walk, talk, or fend for ourselves. The next minute it's over.

Life happens when we are making other plans. Birthday parties, social gatherings, vacations, or even the weekends, there's always a future event that needs attention today.

Today is all we got. There's no guarantee there's a tomorrow. We assume it will be there. It's always been there for us before. The assumption has always proven correct. For this, we believe it as truth. Yet, one day, the assumption will prove false. And on that day, it will be too late to change.

Don't think about it. Just feel it.

Don't over-analyze the morning sunshine. Feel the sweet taste of it.

Don't think about playing with your kids. Feel the happiness of being with people you love and love you back.

Don't worry about what you don't have. Celebrate what you do have.

Today is just about gone. Was it the best day of your life?

Do yourself a favour. Take 80 years and multiply if by 365 days/ year. The approximate number of days you will live is 29207. Then take your age and multiply by the same 365. Take the second number and subtract it from 29207. That's about how many days you have left to live. Or maybe today was the last one. No one knows for sure.

Isn't it time we start living for today. Tick tock. Time is not on our side.

Breakfast of champions?

A friend asked me to have breakfast with a political candidate. Within five minutes, it was clear time was being wasted.

The candidate didn't get it. He could spew numbers and statistics. He understood the political landscape. He had four things he was supporting. He was trying to figure out tactics for his campaign. He wanted great ideas that would propel him to a win. His ideas including giving away coffee mugs, and using signage.

Excuse me while I yawn. He was so boring, I almost fell asleep. He has no chance of winning with that mindset.

Here's what I told him. Political campaigns were run like high school popularity contests. The person that was the best known gets elected. Or the person that was second best known wins because everyone was upset with the incumbent. If it's a popularity contest, then its a branding problem.

I don't understand politics. Branding is my baby...

According to Karen Post, a brand is a story embedded in the mind of the market. So if you want to be properly branded, you start by telling stories that are remarkable. Stories get shared. Remarkability initiates memorability. Memorability creates top of mind awareness. Top of mind awareness generates popularity. The equation is easy. He/she who is best branded, wins in both business and politics.

The problem with most people is they don't have the guts to step out of their comfort zone to be remarkable. My advice to this candidate was to stay in the muddy middle. We don't need another gutless politician. We have enough of them already.

Raven mad

Oh vile raven with menacing dark eyes that have no soul. Breath like a glass of milk left on the counter for 4 days. You try to beat me. I do everything I can. I will not lose to such an insolent piece of organic death. I must keep going on.

You have hurt many loved ones along your path of destruction and defiance. I refuse to be one of your victims. Drugs delay the pain. I lay and I sleep. I sleep and I lay. Nothing seems to remove me from your morbid clutches. I will prosper. It hurts to move. It hurts to breathe. Cough causes nerves to explode in the forehead, upper back and in the legs.

Wretched beast, you are sinister. With every passing day, I'm either getting accustomed to your hold or I'm getting better. My soldiers are strong. There have been many casualties, but we are moving forward. Tonight, the general has asked the special forces to put a stranglehold on your demonic influence once and for all. The Captain has accepted the mission. Soldiers sleep, she will fight this one alone.

My Mecca

Mecca is a city in Saudia Arabia in which the Muslim prophet Mohammed was born. As part of the Muslim faith, every true believer makes a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Christians and the Hebrews have Soloman's wall in Jerusalem.

My pilgrimage was just before my 37th birthday. It was the first time I saw the real Mickey Mouse. Disney World is a magical experience that brought everything from my dreams to life.

My whole life I had friends who told me about the shows, the sights and the sounds. I grew up with the Magical World of Disney every Sunday night on CBC. The TV shows, the movies, the characters, and the cartoons made this place my mecca for 30 plus years.

We were told that the kids would enjoy themselves once they reached 3 and 4. We booked 10 days, stayed at one of the Disney resorts and shuttled back and forth to the four different parks.

The first day we spent at Magic Kingdom. Rightfully named, the first thing you notice is Cinderella's castle right slap dab in the middle of the park. 

I was excited. I had to see everything. My kids were so young. They were lucky. They were witnessing things that I had waited half my life to see. My wife literally had three kids on her hands. It was so great that we made the same pilgrimage a second time the next year.

The last trip was three years ago. I have friends who visit Mickey every year. Now that's a religious passage.

The happiest place on Earth is paradise. It is commercialized to the hilt. But I can overlook that because the positive traits far outweigh a bit of capitalism.

Thanks to a cartoonist who was a dreamer, and a little black and white mouse, we can have happiness for a couple of fleeting days. Happiness comes at a price. But it is worth it.