Before I jump right in, I wanted to explain that Connection (Last One, Part 4) is not a culmination of Connection (Part 1), Connectors (Part 2) and Connection (Part 3). All three posts are individually exclusive of each other so you can enjoy any one of them at any time without having to read them in consecutive order or not read any of them at all. You can just start right here.
Social media keeps us connected to friends, family and acquaintances from all parts of the world. It is fascinating to have this connection right at our very own finger tips. Remember when writing letters was the only way to reach people? Then everything evolved: telegraphs, the telephone, morse code on the radio, email, fax machines, pagers, cell phones and now here we are, socially connected. If we need to get in touch with someone, the only struggle we may encounter is a bad wifi connection. Other than that, it’s amazing how quickly we can connect to someone.
So there is connection and then there are connectors. Two totally separate nouns that I’m writing about in my “Connection” blog post series. What would the discussion about connections be without connectors? Connectors are instrumental in putting us on paths that ultimately change our lives. For the sake of thoughtfulness and the awareness of silver linings, the connectors that I am referring to in this post are for those who change our lives for the better, not worse.
I know it’s a hassle to meet new people because we have to introduce ourselves and then start the whole “how can we connect?” process. But there is no way around it, meeting new people is a gateway to new opportunities.
Whenever I use the phrase “tiny but mighty” I am channeling the cartoon character Mighty Mouse; a small superhero mouse who always made a big impact. I think “tiny but mighty” was one of my favorite phrases of 2021 because I used it to label anything that seemed small but could beat the odds and exceed expectations. Well, get ready - Thoughtful Pinch is going thru a “tiny but mighty” change.
When we were in our twenties, my hub had a term that he would use when he was finished drinking at the bar and wanted to go home. He would say that he was going to the bathroom but slip away without saying goodbye to anyone. He called that move the “Casper.” He made like a friendly ghost and disappeared. In other words, he Caspered.
There is so much talk about New Year’s Resolutions which is inevitably followed by conversations about falling off the wagon. People, who can expect to do ANYTHING on the first of January? We are hungover, football games are on TV and many businesses are closed. It’s a recipe for being a sloth on a couch. Why would anyone think starting a new habit on January 1st was totally reasonable?
For the last fifteen of the 25 years that my hub has been in the NFL, I have stayed put for the holiday season. I was pregnant with our first child 15 years ago and once she came into the world, I became a mom so I didn’t travel anywhere for the holidays because logistically, it didn’t make sense. However, this year, for the first time since I became a mom, I am not home for the holidays.
There is really a national day that celebrates re-gifting and the date is before Christmas. To be specific, it’s always celebrated the Thursday before Christmas. I would have thought this national day would be after Christmas so that we could celebrate all of the presents that we receive that we are not going to use.
Ok the title of this blog is not misspelled. I am aware that the phrase is Bah Humbug and it is what people associate with discontent around the holidays. I have purposely called this post Blah Hmmm Bug because I wanted to share a few things about the 2021 Holiday Season. But first, a Christmas story.
Recently the hub got a bump in pay which put our family in a very comfortable situation. Since then, it’s been eye-opening to see how people react to money. Everyone has a different relationship with money. For me, I’m afraid of money. It sounds dramatic but even though money helps solve many problems, I also know that money can destroy families. Our financial advisor predicted a few scenarios that would happen when my hub started getting a new paycheck and so when all of the predictions happened within months of our new situation, I decided to pay closer attention.
After 6.5 years of blogging about giving out thoughtful pinches to celebrate many national days, I’m not sure how I have missed writing about National Cookie Day. I mean, I have written about National Sugar Cookie Day, but not about National Cookie Day. So let’s get going!
