A Reason To Celebrate On Columbus Day

For all the lessons that were drilled into my memory in school while growing up, Columbus Day is not something that I celebrate. Like most people, as I have gotten older, I have learned a lot more about the man who “discovered” this once unknown continent. The more I learn the less interested I am in dedicating this day to the famous European explorer. This is why Columbus Day is just another day on the calendar… we didn’t even close the office.

However, this year there was reason to celebrate on Columbus Day and thankfully it was because of something completely unrelated to the historical figure. Today is also my wife’s birthday. Albeit completely different from all other birthdays she has had in the past. With all that has happened since her last birthday, this year there was good reason to both be sad as well as excited about turning another year older. Of course, I wish I would have done a better job of making the day special… time seems to be getting away from me too often lately.

While there have certainly been a number of tough days this past year, my wife has shown a strength in her that few possess. Even though she may not be able to see it let alone admit it, there were times when it was quite evident when she made the choice to keep pushing forward rather than giving up. That alone is enough to celebrate this day but it is only one of many reasons.

This, of course, is also the first birthday in our small family since the birth of our son. What a change from previous years. With such an amazing gift that we both received it is hard to think of something to give my wife that she would like. And it shouldn’t be a surprise given all the things going on this year and lately in particular that the gift that I did order has yet to arrive (completely my fault as I should have ordered it sooner). I was holding out hope on Friday but by the time I left the office without a package in hand I knew that I was in trouble.

Hopefully I can be forgiven for the late present but that is only the half of it. I found something that I think my wife will like but I need to figure out a way to incorporate something of our son in it. I don’t think that the current idea floating around in the empty space that is my head is going to be enough. I already know that I have some making up to do but I just don’t know how much I am going to have to make up for later. I guess we will have to wait and see.

“Happy” Birthday!?!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

This year is proving to be a little different than previous ones when it comes to my birthday. There have been some great things that have happened over the past year and some pretty crappy ones as well (especially lately). But, overall, it has been a great year and one that has offered tremendous clarity in my life.

What started off as a year still full with uncertainty and questions is coming to an end with some security and very specific goals. I don’t know what the future may hold but I have a core of beliefs, priorities, objectives, family, and friends that have proven, beyond any doubt, to be the foundation on which I can continue to build my life. Thankfully, there have been a few rough situations and conversations that have occurred over the past year and they have allowed for the culling of the less desirable portions of life that have at times prevented me from fully appreciating all the gifts that I have been given. By doing this most the toxicity has been remediated and the uncertainty has subsided. There are still questions that remain but, for the most part, it will simply take time before the answers are available. To many of those people I say “Thank you and goodbye!”

My birthday this year is one that is filled with love for both the people in my life and my son who will be able to celebrate with me next year. It is this shift that has allowed me to embrace those around me, which at times has bit me in the bum, and know who I can trust, who I can believe, and who I want as not just a part of my life but my wife and my son’s life as well. To those people that have embraced me, in spite of my numerous faults, I just want to say “Thank you!”

This is the first year that I can celebrate my birthday as a father and for those that are unfamiliar with that feeling it is pretty much impossible to describe. I know now that my priorities have to be as a father, husband, son, sibling, nephew/cousin, and friend/brother in that order or else my life will become unfulfilling. There are certainly many changes, most of which I will be unable to control, that are going to happen and now I can say with confidence that I am happy to show my son the kind of man that I am during this next year, this next stage, of my life. So, for those reasons, this is certainly turning into a very happy birthday!

What Does This Milestone Mean To Me?

When I started this blog my goal was to force myself to write everyday as writing had been absent from my daily life for too long after being so prominent for years. While the goal was daily I honestly didn’t have much confidence that I would be able to keep up that page especially given the fact that I had set certain parameters for each post. However, unlike in the past, I am glad that I didn’t restrict myself to a specific topic or group of topics even though I knew from the beginning what subjects would play a prominent role.

That was 500 days and 500 posts ago and not much has changed in this blog. Frankly, I am amazed that I have been able to keep up the pace and, for the most part, find different things to write about. It is with that I mind that I have become more aware of the things and situations around me, I have paid closer attention to things in my life that would have in the past just been another day, and on a few occasions I have forced myself to do other things, go other places, and think about different subject so that I might have something interesting to write about.

While not everything has made it onto the blog both by choice and forgetfulness, these 500 posts have been a great way to record and communicate all that is happening in a very simple life. This brings me back to a question that was recently posed to me in a LinkedIn genealogy discussion. I had posted one of the many genealogy related posts to a group and the response from one member of the group, after the obligatory thanks for sharing this story, was something along the lines of “it is great that you are learning about your family history, putting the pieces together, and writing about them but what are you going to pass down? What will your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. know about you and your life?”

With everything that has happened since I wrote the first word of the first post, this comment solidified why I keep writing. While these posts serve as a means of winding down and for me to remember all that I have done, they are also something to pass down. After all, it is one thing for future generations to know that you existed, it is something much more to know who you were, what you did, what you believed, and what you stood for. So I guess you could say that these 500 posts and all that follow are merely a means to add color, shape, and general character to my leaf on the tree.

Ever Lose Track Of Your Vacation Days?

That is exactly what happened to me this year. It has been tough to take time off this past year as business has been constantly busy and I really haven’t had a good reason to stay ways from the office. With that said, I find myself with a couple months to go before I get a new crop of vacation days. Well crap, I guess I am going to have to take some time off since they will not carry over. So, this past week I finally sat down and took a look at my calendar.

It is difficult for me to take the time for myself as, and I have been very clear about this in previous posts, I enjoy working. I like going to the office every day and making things happen. To do anything else would make the week feel a little incomplete. But I guess that is something that I have to get over especially now with how tired I have been lately and the massive changes that are on the horizon. Something has to give and if taking time off with help that situation then I am happy to oblige.

However, I know that the next couple of months are going to be critical to ramping programs back up for the busier time of year so my decisions on what days to take are influenced by that factor… no long blocks. Additionally, all of us that started around the same time are in the same position and we are making sure that our days don’t overlap… a few less options but nothing I was looking at anyway. What was left were a few long weekends that will do wonders for the rest of the year and while I don’t plan on using every one of my days (I might use about half of my work from home days as well), there are a few breaks that have been worked into the schedule.

There are a few days that I am taking off for the simple convenience of it (i.e. late night at the lodge the night before) but, for the most part it is going to be a few weeks of long weekends and doing my best to finally get caught up on everything else especially in the home office. Working in my favor I the fact that my wife just got a regular position in a local school district leaving me along for the day to buckle down and get things done. Maybe, just maybe, all of those projects that have been pushed back since I started working regularly will get done and we can go into the end of the year with a clean slate.

So, expect a few different posts in the coming months as I will have more time to enjoy and focus on other things. It will be an odd feeling not going to the office ‘just because’ but it give me an opportunity to relax, enjoy something else for a change, and record it all right here. Who knows, maybe there will be something that you aren’t expecting and if you want to get together during those days send me an email and maybe we can coordinate something a little different.

Shifting Priorities

When a door closes pick another one to open!

Yesterday was a hectic day at the office. Really nothing earth shattering in that statement. That pretty much sums up every day at work for me. But yesterday was a little different than most as it left me scrambling to adjust my list of priorities for the foreseeable future. Every PR firm has clients come and go. It is the nature of the business and something that is to be expected. While I prefer the former, the latter can sometimes free up some much needed time to ramp up other projects for other clients.

However, I absolutely hate seeing a client go especially when the business/product is something unique that is certainly going to continue to be a huge success. While there seems to be specific reasons for every client departure they vary greatly from company to company. The only thing we can do is make sure that things are taken care of on our end so that if the company does move on we can look at the decision as something that is out of our control.

I have seen and heard all different kinds of ‘reasons’. Sometimes it is a shift into a new direction, sometimes is a personal connection/contact they have with another firm, sometimes it is a matter of style. It all comes down to the fact that while from the outside PR can seem like an industry that is impersonal and monotonous or, more precisely described to me, “a business of repetitive acts both in form and practice” that really doesn’t come close to what we really do. Some have even said that it is easy.

For those that have any experience in the industry know just how personal this business can be if you truly invest in your work. Most days it is a one on one discussion during which you get to know the person on the other end of the phone, table, or computer screen. At the same time you are trying to bring them along on the story you are trying to tell. If you believe in your clients, you enjoy talking to people, and you respect the publications you are reaching out to this can be a very personal process.

A certain amount of pride and appreciation is experienced with every placement not because your name is anywhere in the text (as a PR professional you don’t want your name anywhere near the text) but because you have done your job and got the story out into the world. You do it for the client. The same can be said when you produce content for a client and you craft the messaging in such a way that grabs someone’s interest while hitting all the points that need to be addressed.

I guess this is why the creative side of me enjoys this field as much as it does. While there are undoubtedly routines in my day (like any industry or occupation) there is a tremendous amount of creative freedom and personality that, when applied properly, can produce exceptional results. And it is because this is such a personal profession for me I hate the few times I have experienced when a client has left. But when that does happen, as it just has, it does allow me to share that passion with another company and gives me the excuse to get to know a completely new group of people. So I guess you could say that it is both a really good and really bad situation but I am going to do my best to focus on the positive.