A SIMPLE ACT OF HONESTY

I don’t think I've ever shared this here, but I arrange/prepare/serve lunch every Friday for the core team that works from our main office. My boss started the tradition over a decade ago, with the thought process being that if everyone worked through lunch at their desks Monday to Thursday, the Friday eats would be on him. So, when I joined the company in 2015 I was glad to sit on the lunch committee; which has since evolved to primarily being me.

Anyway, last Friday I went to the local butcher mid-morning to pick up what I was going to BBQ. When I stepped to the counter to pay, I noticed the person beside me was an acquaintance I've known for about fifteen years. In 2014, he opened his own business and hired me as a feasibility consultant for a not for profit project he was involved in. He never paid me what I was owed, instead he kept the money for himself.

Bad debt story aside, when he asked a generic question about my order and I didn’t reply, out of the corner of my eye I saw him turn toward me. Low and behold he was excited to see me. His arms opened wide to greet me, his face lit up, and then with great animation he said… “Well, look who it is!”

“You look great," he continued.  "Is life treating you well?”

Without turning my head to make eye contact, I gave a swift one word answer: ‘very’. (In that life's treating me very well.) To which I proceeded to ask the lovely clerk how much I owed her. Realizing my opinion of him hadn't changed, he simply offered me to have a nice day and went on his way.

Just so we're clear, my reaction wasn't because I’m bitter. The emotion of dealing with him left me years ago when I chose not to take him to small claims court. The point of my post is that in any moments like those, I feel it more important to put forth an honest energy, rather than engaging the other & acting fake.

Let's face it, it wouldn't have done any good to lead this person to believe that anything had changed simply because we’d bumped into each other at the butcher counter. I truly wish him nothing but great success. He’s a very nice person. Just not an ethical business person in my books.

Which brings us around to another basic Rhondi Rule:
My personal life experience is that being honest & true to yourself may not generate a plethora of "friends". But what is will do, is most certainly have you surrounded with the ones you can count on... that ultimately, you know you can trust.

Oh, on the 411? The Morley Burgers that were BBQ'd last Friday were DEEEElicious.

Thanks for asking!

I will take the company of a good book over fake friends... any day.
TAKEN: JULY 8th, 2017

Puddin’ Up The Christmas Tree

OK Dottie here's the deal...
Stairs to sofa, sofa to stereo, then we hit the mother load.
This tree's goin' DOWN!!!

Hath hell frozen over?

I decided the first week of January this year that I'd never put up another Christmas tree EVER. Let's just run with the fact that if I had to start calling my favorite festive decoration a “Holiday Tree" I was finished. I refused to give into the darn politics of it all! 

As silly as that just sounded, I will recant and admit that I've officially folded like a lawn chair in the festive tree department. Last night, I drug a small 48” fibre optic artificial tree out of storage. I set it up downstairs on the wooden stereo that plays my 78 RPM records. My wee tree is nothing special but it does looks great lit. I haven’t decorated it yet because I knew I would have some "on the fly scenario specific testing" to complete prior (aka Project Christmas Puddin'). 

Puddin' is a great dog she really is, but as a puppy she gets bored easily. As an example in one week alone; she chewed a brand new pair of never worn (to die for) Liz Claiborne shoes, a pair of never worn (comfy) shoes for work, as well as the second pair I bought to replace the first pair consumed.

She gobbled the cords on my straightening iron, my hair diffuser, my laptop, as well as 90% of the items in my makeup bag. Guess I am embarrassed to report that I didn't assess that she was tall enough to cherry pick things off my dresser and the dining room table...but I ultimately fooled a fool. I've installed very tall shelving and began closing my bedroom door every single morning!

Puppy or not I'm glad I decided to put up a tree. I am pleased to report I just moved the project tree in question to nice wooden desk by the laundry room door. Scenario testing complete. Let the decorating begin!