It’s Time to Stay Home and Invest in Yourself

Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save a Life. I don’t understand the people that cannot realize the severity of this illness. Every time I go out, I feel like I’m putting my health at risk or others even with all the precautions. It’s not a time to complain about boredom and let’s quickly reopen the country.

Of course, we all want our lives back but it’s not going to be the same for a while. We would prefer living life as we enjoyed in the past without a care in the world going to the store, visiting our friends, dining at restaurants, and shopping. Yet, it’s such an exhausting process now gearing up with the masks, cleaning everything (ourselves, the bundles, and every surface) with a fear of coming home and getting sick. I don’t even enjoy going out as much. I’m a survivor. I’ve battled several health scares and other challenges where I’ve been resilient throughout each experience.

We need to be safe at home and we are not stuck! As an only child, I take care of my older mother after my father passed away. I’ve been creative living my life and appreciating each day as a gift. I’ve found ways to keep busy doing online classes, cooking, doing my nails with a gel kit, exercising in the house, caring for others, writing, drawing, doing work, researching, and more! Throughout this process, I’ve learned many more things about myself, my abilities and my physical and mental strength.

Is that new outfit at TJMaxx, the trip to the local restaurant where you are craving your favorite meal, or those highlights in your hair really that important now? Would you rather lose your life, a loved one, or a stranger from the illness? NO! Of course, I miss a lot of the same things today like everyone else but you will miss those people a lot more if they pass away. Don’t risk cutting your life too short or someone else’s too soon! We will beat this only if we all put in the time now to be cautious and careful. Yet, we must look forward because we will not be back to our old norms after this experience.

Be creative and do something to appreciate yourself and your loved ones. Discover something new about yourself rather than purchasing something else to fill a void. No material object is important now. Save your money. Be grateful for what you have today and don’t worry about tomorrow. Small businesses have to be creative now. Some have turned their restaurants into grocery stores, people are opening up more online businesses, utilizing social media to promote their company, donating food to those in need, offering exercise classes and hair tips online. This is a time to invest in yourself. It’s a time to think of new ways to brand yourself. It’s a time to explore and discover new talents that may turn into hobbies, careers, or a new way of life for each of us.

I value my life and each other after watching many loved ones pass away. I do not wish suffering on anyone but rather it’s a time for everyone to reflect. Remember someone may have it far worse than you now and they are struggling to stay alive. Pray and be grateful. Start setting new goals and take the time now in the short run so we can all live, love, and be happy for many more years to come.

Life Is A Gift

This has been a time to press pause ⏱. Pause for a moment from the busy rat race 🐭 we once struggled with every day. Pause for a moment when everyone was in a hurry 🏃🏻‍♀️ to go no where. Pause for a moment to appreciate the wrinkle in one’s smile 😁, or recognize the tears falling down one’s face 😢. We all wanted more rest 😴, a break from the monotony, more time at home 🏡 , longer weekends to get things done around the house 🧹 🤦🏻‍♀️ (even if I still procrastinate with some things).

Our caregivers 👩🏻‍⚕️🧑🏻‍⚕️ 🩺 👮🏽‍♀️ 👨🏼‍🚒 👨🏾‍⚕️, scientists 💉👩🏼‍🔬👨🏻‍🔬👨🏾‍🔬, emergency personnel 🆘, grocery 🍪 🥗🥖and pharmacy store clerks💊, bank tellers 💲, and others from around the world 🧕🏼 👱‍♀️ 👩🏻 👱🏽‍♀️👳🏽👦🏻 are working round the clock ⏰. For many of us to breathe a little easier, stay healthy 💪🏻 at home, and pray 🙏🏻 to get our lives back on track without losing 😞 the ones we love to illness🤒🦠🤕. It’s no time for those people to press pause.

This is a time 🕓 for many of us stuck together under one roof to appreciate our loved ones ❤️ more than we ever imagined and understand an important lesson in life! Unfortunately, some we love are far away, while others have no visitors allowed ⛔️! We pray 🙏🏻 for their safety. Strangers have become surrogate parents/significant others caring for those sick 😷 in hopes to reunite with their real families 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦. We all wish to give each other a BIG hug 🤗. Be thankful for every day and grateful to be alive today, tomorrow, and for your entire life! #LifeIsAGift 🎁 #BeGrateful

 

The New Shiny Penny: Is it always best?

In the last few years, online media has replaced many traditional newspapers and numerous jobs have been eliminated. Additionally, much consolidation has occurred when papers such as the Boston Globe took over the Boston Herald’s production. In the Spring, the Boston Globe closed it’s original printing facility from Dorchester and moved it to Taunton. This week, the Boston Herald criticized the Boston Globe for their new printing press.

The Boston Business Journal stated in a recent article that the failure of the new press wasn’t meeting expectations or deliveries on time. The Boston Herald had to make calls to customers apologizing for the poor service and the Boston Globe “failed to print and deliver a quality product.”

I was moved by the video circulating on the internet of the hard working professionals that operated the original Boston Globe printing press.

It shared the lives, commitment, talents, and legacy of hardworking people that stayed up into the late hours of the night and early morning to bring the paper to you. Not only did they work on the press, but they grew up watching their fathers do the same job for many years.

“These presses are workhorses. It is a four story machine. It’s pretty amazing to run this thing and bring it up to speed and listen to it roar.” – A former printer at the Boston Globe that worked in Dorchester and he is now retired due to the shutdown of the facility.

“I love printing. I love making something, working on it with my hands. My father worked here for forty years. Even today now, I’m 55 years old and it’s still thrilling to me,” shared in the video by a former printer at the Boston Globe.

I worked at the Globe a while back in a contract role. I was impressed by the massive machinery and ability of the people to work together for the paper to land on my doorstep every day. I hope they don’t dismantle it, but they did eliminate the jobs.

Out with the old and in with the new isn’t always best. I was touched and saddened to learn of these passionate professionals that were asked to take an early retirement. Big business needs to stop and think before cutting corners and eliminating jobs.

A former printer at the Boston Globe crawls into the press to clean it on his hands and knees. He shared that despite the suit the ink bleeds into the skin and yellow is the hardest to remove from the body.

Believe it or not, I’ve built my career in digital marketing and sales to watch my job be cut where companies bring in cheaper and less qualified talent. It’s not the same.

Nothing compares to the passion, commitment, enthusiasm of qualified and skilled talent. Each work hard for endless hours to perfect a product or service. We can all learn from each other.