Herman School of Business
Staying Positive...
This past Saturday was Draft Day. It is the best day of the year. In fact, there isn’t even a close second to Draft Day. This year was the 24th time our league has drafted a Rotisserie Baseball Team and it is held in my barn which is nicknamed the Draft Palace.
The Draft Palace started as a working barn for the nursery operation that existed for fifty years on my property. It was a dirt floor, leaning walled structure with two stories in the middle section and two lower sections on each side, with a very small shack hooked onto the back of it. The roof needed repair, the chemicals for the plants, flowers and shrubs that had grown over were housed in a mini-enclosure in the middle of the building, and the place was almost falling down. That was over twelve years ago when we bought the place.
The barn got a new roof after the outer walls were rebuilt ten years ago. The floors were newly poured concrete. One summer I added a section on the back to balance the building and give it symmetry. Windows were put in everywhere to bring as much natural light inside as possible. And then came the built-in book cases, the gas fireplace, the full bath with the showerhead coming out of the ceiling fourteen feet above the floor. Maybe the modern chandeliers in one section and the antique light fixtures from our bar at the Abacrombie are a bit much, but it works for me. And so when the “buddies” come over for the Draft Day it is the highlight of the year. Why? Because we spend sixteen hours together in the Palace, picking our team, eating like pigs and watching baseball until the last pitch is thrown. This year it meant sixteen straight hours of “buds.”
Why then, is this posting called Staying Positive? Because being around my friends gives me the most positive energy of life. The Draft Day isn’t wonderful just because we get our team, but because we share the day with the friends we love outside of our families. We would do anything for each other. Of course we raunchily discuss our lives, and we ruthlessly pick on each other, but we share the wonders of our children, our jobs, our spouses and our futures.
In the last week I have spoken to my two single daughters, Colleen and Shannon. They both are now thriving in the adult world, working hard and enjoying life with their friends. Both have relationships that may or not last a lifetime, and for now that fits both of their personalities, because they are strong independent women. But each one told me separately last week that they are extremely happy right now. They are in a good place. And while both are doing well in their profession…the reason they are both happy is the same reason I am happy. We are blessed with the love of great friends.
If you want a short cut to being positive and staying happy…stop working so hard and spend some time with your close friends.
- Posted: 8 April 2008
- Comments: 0
- Category: Business success
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