Happy Phriday
Everyone is posting the first-day of school pictures. Some of you are posting pics of this year beside pictures of previous years. Back to school is exciting but a little sad too. The passage of time, our children are quickly growing up and going out. We, getting older. It's the circle of life, I guess..
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Ronda & Brad, Brad & Ronda
Everybody has a Ronda story. Here is mine. I met Brad and Ronda separately. I met Ronda first while serving on the Lifelong Access HR steering committee for the board of directors. My first impression of Ronda was that of a no nonsense, smart as hell person who asked a lot of good questions. She was all business: Let's get to the point and get out of here. Yes! Not long after, I met Brad at a Chamber of Commerce afterhours. I often found myself gravitating to Brad in these afterhours events because he laughed at my jokes. I got to know Brad even more so when we both ended up on the TEDx planning committee. So this was how it was for a few years. Then one afternoon while attending a Lifelong Access get-together, I found myself standing at one of those tall tables having a glass of wine with Ronda and Brad. By then, I had gotten to better know Ronda. I had come to understand the passionate, caring caring side of her. She was in procession of a delicate, sweet soul. She had a vulnerable side that she guarded carefully. As we stood there chatting I noticed how closely they were standing, shoulders touching, elbow to elbow. Then I noticed how attentive Brad was to Ronda, removing a stray hair from her jacket, handing her a cocktail napkin, fetching her drinks. Then it dawned on me that these two people shared the same last name. Duh, I am not a bright guy. I asked, Are you two married? (Hoping that they were not brother and sister.) Brad laughed his patented laugh. Ronda slapped my shoulder and laugher her laugh. There it was then that this comingled laughter became a separate sound of its own. The laugh of Brad and Ronda, Ronda and Brad. That sound that so many in our community have come to know and love. That sound that we will all miss. Cheers and Godspeed Ronda. Someday, we will raise a glass together on the other side.
Mike’s Friday Funnies: School
The little boy wasn't getting good grades in school. One day he made the teacher quite surprised. He tapped her on the shoulder and said ..."I don't want to scare you, but my daddy says if I don't get better grades, somebody is going to get a spanking." A high school receives a telephone call. “Hello,” says the principal. “My daughter won’t be in school today,” says the voice. “May I ask who this is?” asked the principal. “This is my mother speaking.” One Sunday, a young boy arrived to his Sunday school class late. His teacher knew that the boy was usually very prompt and asked him if anything was wrong. The boy replied no, that he was going to go fishing, but that his dad told him that he needed to go to church instead. The teacher was very impressed and asked the boy if his father had explained to him why it was more important to go to church rather than to go fishing. To which the boy replied, "Yes, ma'am, he did. My dad said that he didn't have enough bait for both of us." My professor told me that I was failing my ethics class. So I slid a 20-dollar bill across the table and said: "What about now?" A Sunday school teacher posed a question to her class, "If I were to sell my house, car, donate my possessions to charity, and give all my money to the church, would I get into heaven?" The children unanimously replied, "No." The teacher then asked, "If I were to keep the church clean, mow the lawn, and keep everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?" Once again, the answer was a resounding "No." Apparently perplexed, the teacher asked, "Well, then how can I get into heaven?" A quick-witted five-year-old boy piped up and replied, "You have to be dead!"
GoodEnough & Book of the Week: “12 Trips in 12 Months”
In this episode, Mark and Sam talk with best selling author, Jen Ruiz. Jen Ruiz is a lawyer turned full-time travel blogger and author. She is a 3-time TEDx speaker, 6-time bestselling author, and multi award winning travel journalist. Jen has been featured in Forbes, The Washington Post, and ABC News and is the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane. You can find her blog here:
Buy her book here:
Friday Twain is Leaving the Station
"Many public-school children seem to know only two dates - 1492 and 4th of July, and as a rule, they don't know what happened on either occasion." Mark Twain
Throat Punch Poetry: Tuesday, Garbage Day
By S. Lewis
This is an old poem I wanted to rework. They say a work of art is never finished by the artist, only abandoned.
Outside my window the Crows are cawing as the Garbage is being picked up. Hydraulic cylinders shriek Metal hinges squeak as Refuse goes tumbling, rumbling. Glass bottles shatter Empty cans clatter Objects of value last week. Manufactured it seems To fill a hole in our dreams Of building our city a dump. And above it all You hear the crows caw Betting that we go extinct.
Moment of Zen
Li’l Sammie’s first day of school and he aint happy about it.