Tag Archives: reflection

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Based on a True Story

Not too long ago, I started watching this television show and I love it so far. The first thing I like is that the plot is original and as a whole, the writers make fun of popular murder mystery culture. Basically, the show revolves around three people. A couple and their plumber. Now, the twist is that he has a big secret and once they figure out his secret, they enlist him to help. What follows is a crazy adventure that includes a trip for “promo” and a series of unfortunate events. The whole show is based on the couple’s decision to look the other way when faced with an opportunity to turn in a criminal to law enforcement. They decide that their own professional advancements are more important than providing the information necessary to solve a recent crime. As a result, a lot of people are impacted by their choices–including some innocent ones. But the show must go on. The couple is tasked with trying to figure out a plan of action without admitting any additional information about themselves.

I love that the show is unpredictable and keeps you guessing about what will happen next. To me, it’s a true thriller because there’s a lot that happens within each episode and each twist is shocking. It’s hard these days to find shows that keep your attention and this one definitely does. I’m glad that it was renewed and I’m looking forward to the second season. So many shows change between the first and second season and I hope that they keep the same energy all the way through. I’m interested in how they will expand the story line around the plumber and the progress of the episodes. I think I’ll wait until all the episodes air and then I’ll binge the second season over a weekend or two. Great show!

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My Favorite Meteorologist

Growing up in Alabama meant that I was always taught to take weather seriously. A lot could change in the blink of an eye and before you knew it, we could be in the midst of a tornado. There was many a night where my family and I would be awakened in the middle of the night by weather sirens. My dad would turn on the living room TV and we would watch my favorite meteorologist, James Spann with ABC 33/40. He was a calm voice in the midst of many chaotic late nights and early mornings.

There was something mesmerizing about watching the doppler radar on the television screen. All the television shows would immediately be suspended in order to show the ongoing weather coverage. Because the weather was so unpredictable we never knew how long the tornado warning or watch would last. We would hunker down and hope for the best as we saw the wind, rain, and thunder pick up outside. It’s weird, but typically right before a tornado (at least during the day), the sky starts to look green and there’s an eerie silence before you start to hear the rushing wind that mimics the sound of a freight train.

As soon as we would hear from James that the tornado was on the ground and approaching our direction, My siblings and I would all huddle together in an inside closet or in the bathtub with our helmets on our heads covered in blankets. My parents would then turn the tv volume up and we would listen to it until we heard the all clear or our power went out. It was an occurrence that happened fairly frequently in Alabama. Tornados often resulted in a lot of loss of life in ourarea and we were taught to take it all very seriously. 

Our local news station hosted an event one year around Christmas where the anchors came to introduce themselves and bring some holiday cheer to the community. I remember being so excited to finally meet him in person. I was able to get a picture and an autograph with him and as a kid it was a big deal. It was the highlight of my year. My family moved away from the area when I was 11 and location of our new home in Georgia drastically reduced the likelihood of seeking shelter in severe weather. I’ll always appreciate his dedication to his work and I’m glad he’s still doing it today. Thanks James Spann. 

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Easier vs. Better

As hard as it is to hear, I’m at a place in my life where I want to hear the truth. While I know it’s not always comfortable and that I can end up being a bit hurt at times, it still beats alternative of being lied to. Lies can just be more convenient and appear to be the best option. However, in the long run, it’s generally a bad idea to build your life or make decisions based on untruths. Like most people, I strongly dislike being mislead and I’d rather know something than not knowing something.

So enter relationships. The romantic sort. They can be messy, complicated and very emotionally taxing. We’ve all seen couples where we were secretly hoping that they would recognize their lack of compatibility and just part ways. It was toxic from day one and just continued to go downhill from the moment they decided to form a “trauma bond” and be in romantic relationship. It’s a relationship that makes us all happy that we aren’t in their shoes and having to make the same decisions.

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

And then there are the rare exceptions to normality in a positive direction that leave us all dumbfounded (I think that’s a word). They seem to be in sync on everything and against all odds appear to be consistently happy together for months and years at a time. Their relationship appears to be a good partnership and both people are blissfully in love, in like, and in life together. A rarity indeed. It’s a reminder to us all that it’s a beautiful thing to have a trusted life companion. The reality flipside is that for many of us, our romantic relationships fall into the “normal” box. We have our general frustrations and bones to pick. But we’ve decided that we’re going to try to make it work because it makes sense for now and overall, the outcome has been positive.

Every relationship has a culture and this can be different and varied depending on the people involved in said relationship. There’s good and bad times, ups and downs and in-between moments. Life with someone takes compromise, communication, trust and honesty. We can veer off course but eventually through time and understanding and applying relationship skills like the ones that are outlined in this workbook, we find our way back to our partner. It’s not easy to think about someone else all the time because your decisions affect them. Conversations can lead to conflicts and misunderstandings that require humility and effort to resolve. We don’t always get our way. However, for many, having a relationship doesn’t make their life easier, but it makes it better. We like the fact that there’s someone to come home to and there’s an emergency contact outside of friends and family that actually cares. We have a person that will listen and support in a way that only someone who knows us well can do.

It’s an interesting concept to consider the whole idea of better vs. easier. I think many times we have to make decisions that require us to sacrifice one for the other. What’s better generally isn’t easier and what’s easier generally isn’t better. Of course there are exceptions but those don’t necessarily apply to relationships and interactions with others. We make decisions based on what we hope the outcome will be and wish for the best. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

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Scarcity and abundance

We have so many buzz words regarding mental health that are being thrown around. I saw a post on social media the other day that staying busy is a trauma response and while I immediately categorized the message as clickbait, when I thought about it, I saw some truth to the statement. Growing up, there was a lot of emphasis on being busy. If I was in the same space for too long I was admonished to do something productive. There was a schedule that we needed to follow and there was a system in place. As an adult, I’ve stayed busy and there’s never been a time where I’ve only had one job. I have no idea what that feels like but in this chapter of my life, it feels like it would be a welcome change. It would involve creating a new normal and finding hobbies but I think I could swing it. It’s time for a vacation where I don’t have to think about checking my email. At some point this year I plan to accomplish this. It’ll be a feat but I absolutely could use the recharge. Here’s to an abundance mindset. Or at least one where there’s a bit more balance.

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The demise of my favorite sandwich shop

My college experience had a lot of ups and downs. Most of them due to the fact that I didn’t know and had to figure out how to financially support myself. However, one of the best things about college was visiting my favorite chain sandwich spot Quizno’s. Fast forward 11 years later and I now live around the corner from one of the last Quizno’s locations. So recently I found myself down a rabbit hole trying to find out what happened any why so many restaurants have closed over the years. The story is actually pretty sad. Apparently, the first restaurant was started in Denver (used to live there too) and then it grew and became a franchise opportunity. At the time, there was a unique take on the market because the sandwiches are toasted. It was something that had not been done before. This was also combined with sandwiches that bordered more on the gourmet side. They had it on lock for a good minute. However, apparently no one has a monopoly on a toaster and once Subway started offering toasted sandwiches without an extra cost and those infamous “5 dollar footlong” commercials. The financial troubles continued with the company going into massive amounts of debts and having a slew of unhappy franchise owners who were barely able to turn a profit. Apparently, the ingredients for the sandwiches were more expensive than most and the Quizno’s parent company also had a contract with the food company so they profited from selling franchise locations the equipment and ingredients. All this came to a dreadful head when a franchise owner decided to (very tragically) take his life due to his financial situation and the fact that the company allowed another franchise to open up close to his existing store. A recipe for failure. The company continued to tank and hundreds of stores started to close because the franchise owners couldn’t become profitable. Fast forward to the present where Quiznos is hanging on by a thread and most stores have closed. They needed a different strategy and unfortunately it was too late to pivot. So the next time you eat a toasted sandwich, think of the chain that made it happen.