A few things around the house that make me smile…

He's a night light, hangs in the hallway, and can be a little spooky if you've had one too many (and sometimes he'll say things).

Came in the mail yesterday from some friends. Perfect for the kitchen. So cool.

From the same friends (and a couple others) a few years ago for New Years. It reads…

"There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good."

: ) & ~>

Random thoughts…

How many massively succesful people (people who've contributed to the world in a very big way) would recommend working less than a 45 to 50-hour work week?

(I agree that when we're on our deathbed, most of us will not wish we'd spent more time at the office. But, I'm also confident we'll wish we'd spent less time sitting our @ss.)

tgim

Courtesy of my 11-year-old claymation man…

Apparently, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were even into the season.

And the wise men… they could play…

The Spaniard set the table for Christmas Eve dinner this afternoon (this our holiday with my family and prep work starts early).

I was a little disappointed because that means 3 nights without the dining room. The last several months have spoiled me. Even my 8-year-old asked what the hell we were doing as we made the kitchen table up for dinner tonight (he worded it a bit differently).

I mentioned this about 6 months ago but for any new readers (or as a reminder for regulars), we've found eating together as a family in the dining room has been a wonderful change that's built on itself. More family dinners each week. Longer time at each. Better conversations and connections. There’s an occasional meltdown or times when it might be only 2 or 3 of us at the table but overall we really think it’s helped us as a family — some dinners go over an hour (on school nights).
 
It seems silly to us when we share this with people as though it’s some kind of revelation but the difference for us has been big. Tells you something about our dinners before the change.

For us, we think making the table a warm environment is a big piece (candles, nice chairs, etc.). Again, even saying that makes me laugh as to how obvious it is. Also, minimizing “to do” or “schedule” talk seems helpful for us.

And that's all I've got to say about that.

I'm begging you.

If you lead a team of people, please help them care about your customers (and you have customers).

If you care for a customer, please make it about them… not you.

I'm begging you.

Seriously.

tgim

(more after the jump, if you're interested)

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To be truthful… To be honest with you… I'm not going to lie… I'm going to be completely honest here… Truth be told…

Honestly.

We shouldn't need these caveats as grown-ups but something happened, didn't it?

We learned that a lie (straight, white, bald-face, bold-face, or simply by omission) is "understandable" in certain situations. And when we let them sneak in, we had to create our caveats for those times when we actually are telling the truth.

Truth helps all of us.

We should tell it always… not just when it's convenient or because we feel we'll be found out if we don't.

__________________

The sign above is in an entrance way of The Hyde School in Bath, Maine (and each of their schools).

I had lunch back in August with Malcolm Gauld, president of the Hyde organization. I'd enjoyed he and his wife's book a few years ago on parenting, The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have. When I found myself invited to Maine this past summer, I gave him a call to discuss his work and the book.

The 10 parenting priorities begin with…

Truth over harmony.

I believe this not to be just a parenting thing, but an all-the-time thing (and think the word "will" in the second part of the quote above should be "might").

“If you want this…
if you want bling bling…
if you want to buy the Jets…
if you want to do shit… work.
That’s how you get it.

That’s all I got. There’s just nothing else to say… I love you.”

Gary Vaynerchuk
Wine Library TV

If you like wine (and even if you don’t), catch this guy. He’s one of my new heroes of authenticity.

The quote above is his conclusion to a 15-minute talk he gave in September. Some great stuff on pursuing your verse in life. If curse words aren’t your thing, beware.

And Gary, we love you too.

tgim

When I buy cage-free eggs, I feel good… oddly very good. I feel like I'm keepinng one less chicken from life in cage.

But at the same time, I'll pick up the bacon, enjoy a little foie gras, and saute some veal scallopini on occasion.

It makes me think about my hypocrisies.

My kids can't procrastinate. They can't use curse words. They have to be kind to each other without exception… not lazy, late, or rude.

But I…

Please pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

(on the cage-free thing… like many food marketing words, it's not as great as I'd hoped)

This morning’s discussion with my 9-year-old nephew…

“Good morning,” he said as he walked into the room. (very polite)

“Good morning. Ready to go to work?”

“I don’t have a job.”

“Would you like one?”

“Yes. Wait. What will my pay be?

“Well, let’s first talk about the value you can bring to the table.”

“My skills?”

“Yes.”

“Well. Baseball. Okay, math, English, and language arts. Reading. Wait. Okay. Asking questions. Pitching baseball. And playing computer games. And typing fast. That’s it. And eating.”