Message From jl

Hi Everyone!

Well, the flowers are all planted, now. I was hopping around like an blithering idiot, trying to get it done amid the swarming of the hornets that goes on here every spring.

Apparently none of them died off through the past warm winter. Because, those suckers are as big as 747s!

Pretty soon, pollen will start covering the lake and it'll look like a swamp for a few weeks. I always hate to see that. Be nice if we'd have enough rain, this year, to keep it clean.

Ad Swaps

It seems fewer and fewer of us bother to put out informational ezines, or newsletters, any more. Too bad. Those of us who have been around for a while, learned nearly everything we know from them.

Remember back when we used to trade newsletter ads to build our lists? There's no reason we can't do that, again. So, I'll start ...

If you publish, and are interested in trading a four insertion ad, just shoot me an email, and I'll send back the parameters for the swap.

jlscott@i-Cop.org

Here's a Cool Link I Found

You can create a “LinkBlip” link, use it in your ezine, or any ad, and be notified every time someone clicks on it. This will tell you how well your advertising and sales material is doing.

Create the links here:

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The MASTER COURSE Sale

I will be pulling down the sale on The MASTER COURSE on March 15th. So, you only have six more days to pick it up at the 67% discount!

www.i-cop.org/products/master-course.htm

The Second Stage of Economic Grief

All the losses (jobs, money, credit, etc.), involved in an economic recession, cause folks to collectively go through the five stages of grief.

First, we have the disbelief and denial. We covered that in an earlier article. Now, we have apparently arrived at the second stage, which is anger.

We MUST be responsible for this collective anger at the personal level, before it turns REALLY ugly. It can only be controlled one at a time.

Nothing logical or reasonable seems to enter into the mood of the general public, right now. I can only speak for the USA, but I'm betting crazy things are going on all over the world.

Here, we have a drug addict radio “personality” running one of the political parties. We have people raising hell and blaming an administration that's only been in office for seven WEEKS for CAUSING the mess - and others raising hell because that SAME administration hasn't FIXED it in seven weeks.

See what I mean about irrationality? Nobody is making any sense, and nobody seems to care how crazy they look. It's all about pointing fingers. This is the kind of anger that got the name “madness.”

The “Letters to the Editor” in one of my daughters' small town was publishing histrionics so nearly insane it was becoming frightening. I can't imagine what possessed my daughter to jump into the fray (other than that she IS my daughter), but she did.

She wrote a three sentence letter asking folks to calm down and get a grip - to try some patience and tolerance. She wrote nothing for, or against, any “group.” Rather, she was commenting on the behavior.

Believe me when I tell you, she's much more tactful than I, and her message was mild-mannered and rational. Still, it was a BAD move!

She was taken to the conference room at her job and told any more letters to the newspaper would result in her termination (which, of course, would be illegal). Clearly, her boss belonged to one of the groups.

Since then, she's been receiving hate mail (from that same group), and has found herself labeled as “belonging” to the “other” group. She has also found herself on mailing lists of groups she has absolutely no interest in.

Frankly, I praised her for having the guts to stand up for what's right. Then, I advised her to zip her lip. She has school-aged children and needs to be around until they're grown.

When folks are this angry, horrible things are done in the name of whatever cause they support. The value of the cause no longer has any meaning. Only the anger has meaning to the rage-aholics.

My reason for telling you this incident is to point out how crazy people are getting - and especially when they divide up into groups, for and/or against each other. You can also see how they will pounce on anyone who dares to be rational like a pack of rabid pit bulls.

You know, we're all in this together. We are ALL human beings and we are ALL in the same mess.

It would be SO MUCH easier if we all pulled together to get through it, rather than pointing fingers and turning on the peace makers.

Some of you may have read the story below before. But, it struck me as something we would all do well to reflect on, right now. We really and truly do need to remember ... we are ALL the children of our Universal Spirit, by whatever name we wish to use, and we need to be there FOR one another!

Have a fabulous week and ... keep on keepin' on!

  jl

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Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. One time I arrived in the middle of the night for a pick up at a building that was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked.

"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice.

I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase.

The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

"It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers."

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware — beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

NOTE: The above story is taken from Kent Nerburn's book, Make Me an Instrument of your Peace: Living in the Spirit of the Prayer of St. Francis. The author has personally confirmed that this story is true.
www.amazon.com/Make-Me-Instrument-Your-Peace/dp/0062515810

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[03/09/09]

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Thank You For Reading!  Have a Terrific Week!

Online Business Trade Journal™ is published solely by dr. jl scott, Director of the International Council of Online Professionals (iCop) and may not reflect the opinion of all iCop members.

Material in the "Leaving You With a Smile" column may be copyrighted by unknown persons.

We accept no responsibility for your use of any contributed information contained herein. All of the information presented in the Online Business Trade Journal™ is published in good faith. Any comments stated in this newsletter are strictly the opinion of the writer or publisher.

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Copyright © 2009 jl scott, ph.d., Director
International Council of Online Professionals (iCop™)
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