The Right Side of Thanksgiving

The Right Side of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. We all know it as a day of gratitude. That is the left side of the word.  While the origin of the day goes back to 1536 during the reign of Henry the 8th, in this country we associate it most with the Pilgrims in Plymouth in the early 1600s who...
The Sprinkles Power of a Loaner

The Sprinkles Power of a Loaner

It was not a fancy restaurant. My hotel did not have a restaurant so I walked a block to this simple diner. I was there for a late breakfast before beginning my work with a client in the afternoon. There were only two people in the restaurant…a couple waiting for...
Thanking Those Who Quietly Serve

Thanking Those Who Quietly Serve

It happened in the Atlanta airport—one of the busiest on the planet.  I was sitting in the Delta gate area waiting to board my flight.  A slightly stooped Asian woman with a droid-like expression and robotic movement was making her way through the waiting areas...
The Cream in My Coffee

The Cream in My Coffee

“You’re the cream in my coffee” is the opening line and title of a song written in 1928 by Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown.  It was a song recorded by many famous musicians like Nat King Cole, Les Brown and the Ray Conniff Singers.  It provides a powerful metaphor...
The Customer as Valentine:  A Generous Heart

The Customer as Valentine: A Generous Heart

Allowances were not something my dad believed taught kids a strong work ethic.  So, I had to work for all my spending money.  Living in a rural area, there were not a lot of paying chores for kids…except for baby-sitting and lawn mowing.   My sister baby-sat; I mowed...