beBetter 

CeCe is the guardian of her Aunt Kate, who is a resident at an independent living facility about two miles from our house. Aunt Kate is 83 and a retired teacher and principal. She is bright as ever, always keeps up with current events, however, she has begun to have short-term bouts with confusion. This has not really caused any real problems and she still drives her car for short errands around town. Well, no problems until tonight.  

As I push the spout down on my giant bottle of Aveda Rosemary Mint shampoo, a big generous blob of shampoo runs into my hand. Now I know this is more shampoo than I need for this thinning hair of mine, but something always prevents me from stopping with just a half push. I love this shampoo — its smell is incredible and I believe it gives my hair a little more body. 

Sitting on the balcony of an 18th-floor condo overlooking the beach, it’s a great time to reflect, recharge and THINK. We are on our annual Havens Beach Retreat with almost 40 family members including kids and grandkids. Mom and Pop Joe are the headliners and run the nightly domino games. What a blessing with a mixture of fun and chaos!

My workout is done and it’s time to jump in the shower, refresh and head into the office. I’m really excited this morning as things are trending to more and more in-person meetings and opportunities. Even introverts like me need connections and when we interact, it helps us grow faster towards our full potential. But first, back to the shower.

Opening our condo door in Oxford, MS (home of my Ole Miss Rebels), I hear this fluttering noise and quickly look around. What is that? Quiet now. It’s about 9 p.m., dark, and I have had a long day on the lake fishing so I’m really excited about getting upstairs and hitting the bed early.    

One morning, I was fishing in the front of my boat on Ross Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi. I had an odd feeling that morning that things weren't just right; however, I wasn't able to put my finger on it. I became engrossed in a conversation with another fisherman about our LiveScopes. When I turned around to grab another color bait, I saw that my boat was full of water! I was literally on the verge of sinking.

The CEO comes into the boardroom and everyone is standing. “Our oldest customer has fired us. Says they just don’t know us anymore — too much business by phone, email. Well folks, something has to change. We are going to see them all face-to-face.” He then hands out airline tickets to everyone.

This scene is from an old commercial, but with the current pandemic, I think it is a scene (being fired) we could replicate very easily today if we do not treat being relevant as important and urgent. This takes energy and creativity. It takes contacting, listening and collaborating with clients and customers.

Frankly, it’s easier today to assume that a client doesn’t want to collaborate or hear from us. How often are we letting these assumptions delay our actions? The hyper-speed of digital acceleration, remote work, changing business patterns, etc., all require a concerted effort to understand changing needs so we are relevant.

“I would take a 7:30 a.m. hair appointment. I mean it, I would not hesitate.” I listen in shock as I look into CeCe’s eyes to make sure I heard her correctly. This one statement says so much about how eager we are to get our lives back. CeCe hates to get up early! However, after weeks of sheltering at home, she will do just about anything for some semblance of normalcy.

CeCe and I are having an evening glass of wine and winding down from the day as we sit on our front porch, observing all of our quarantined neighbor’s new activities to pass the time. Walking, jogging, dog walking, bicycles, scooters, golf carts, fishing, and of course, the kid’s playground, which is right in front of our house. This playground has become a center of daily activity and lately, I suspect it is also serving as a secret happy hour spot.

CeCe and I are sitting outside next to the fireplace, entertaining some close friends pre-social distancing. It’s pretty chilly tonight with a strong north wind so I have the fireplace roaring. In my feeble attempt to dress a little hip, tonight, I reached on my top shelf of shoes and pulled out my retro Cole Haan boots. 

Entering the restroom, my eyes are immediately locked on this image and I can’t stop staring at it. This visual is cemented in my mind, and I walk out of the restroom with a new realization: we are officially in panic mode. It is showing up in different ways, but it is showing up in everything we are doing and experiencing.

I’m on my four-wheeler today as I head towards my favorite oxbow lake to see if I can catch my favorite fish, crappie! It has been raining for days so the four-wheeler trail is a muddy mess, but I’m smiling all the way back to the lake. It is so much fun to get on this lake all alone and enjoy the sights and sounds of God’s beautiful creation. Catching a few crappie will be the icing on the cake.  

Dressed for work, I’m walking into the den to kiss CeCe bye this morning.  I get two steps into the room and hear, “Ha! You changed your hair!” CeCe, as you might have noticed in previous blogs, is the most observant person I have ever been around and that includes my Mom, who always knew when we were up to no good.