Good Day To All,
It has been a long time since writing to share my thinking with you. In this writing there is one sentence that is the heart of the matter. Maybe there are more for some. The celebration of Thanksgiving has passed by. The birthday celebration of Christmas has also just zoomed by. However, the time to give thanks is still here, now, and continues.
Has anyone been doing any cooking? We absolutely love this time of year. Just before Thanksgiving was a butt cooking extravaganza. 200 Boston Butts (why is it called that?) in one mostly all-night shake down. The eve of Thanksgiving was a 25 turkey cook drill. Love feast on Thanksgiving for around 250 folks this year. Try getting involved in one of these, it’s very rewarding. The Saturday before Christmas was the ultimate 18 turkey showdown for the Mid Eastern team families. All of that prior, besides all of the good it accomplished, was just practice to get these last ones done perfectly. It took a lot of people and a lot of effort for all of this. It’s wonderful magic. I also get to use all those coolers I have. Insider self-jab to me joke!
So much has happened that I hardly know where to begin. As I correspond with many of you during the year it’s always obvious that everyone faces the same prevalent subject matter, stuff. Some changes are tragic, sad, or neutral, heartwarming, good, bad, and yet some make you glad. I’m learning a little more each day that how we perceive, handle, adapt, and deal with stuff largely determines our feelings and the outcome.
The wash has now become a warehouse and we are enjoying the space, the ability to stay much more organized and to store a larger selection of items and more quantities. The staff is different. People’s lives and direction make different turns. People get tired, or I do, and some variant takes place.
Has anyone had a change with technology? We have been whipping or being whipped by technology change for Mid Eastern on many fronts and for many months. I promise being whipped is much more the case! People change, technology changes, and then workflow changes and it starts feeling like it is the ruler of all. A little pause and then you can begin to realize that right in your midst something good is taking place. All of us here are stepping up to the challenge while learning as we go. We are striving to embrace all this while allowing it to make us better and smiling in the process.
The surrounding area at the Manning and Gaston stores is really growing. Our once small to moderate interchanges are now bustling with activity and new business development. All this makes the exits even better places to visit.
I plan to get back in the grove of writing a monthly message. Hopefully there will be a big message soon, the next one will be different. I’m already mentally working on it. Stay tuned. I truly hope every one of you had a Merry Christmas. Be kind and Stay Safe! Just a few days from now and there is another change! Happy New Year!
All the best.
WJ