Friday Donuts

Friends, A rose bush has flourished between two fence planks, creating a beautiful highlight to an otherwise ordinary segment of the route where I walk my dogs. This rebellious little plant got me thinking about the old maxim: "thrive where you're planted" -- which is terrible advice if your head is literally stuck in a fence. In the figurative sense, we spend so much of our lives putting up with current circumstances instead of making the best of them. Some part of us seems to think life is a rehearsal. We imagine ourselves thriving after we finally go somewhere -- vacation, relocation, event, perfect job... We easily forget that we shape our lives every instant, and we'll have to live with the person we've been nurturing when we get there. If we forget how to take pleasure in the small things, we're screwed. So, do yourself a favor, grab a donut, close your eyes and take a bite. Chase it down with some coffee and let the sweet sensation wash over as you imme

Friends, Ever dream you’re trapped in a maze? Try as you might, your futile efforts bring you no closer to the exit… Yeah, me neither. I do however see too many missed opportunities to create labyrinths. Warehouses, grocery stores, data centers and self-storage units all have real estate that would make amazing mazes, yet with very few exceptions (Ikea) they universally seem to choose utilitarian layouts. Boring! I suppose this void creates a business opportunity for creative entrepreneurs willing to think outside the big box store. Bringing a sense of adventure to your shopping should have the added benefit of increasing the number of impulse purchases. Savvy businesses might strategically locate a donut shop in the center to reward lost shoppers and give them the second wind they so desperately need to power through the rest of their expedition. I can’t think of a better way to spend the three day weekend… actually, I can, but that’s a story for another day. Happy Friday!

Friends, A road trip is like a juicy rotisserie guinea pig. People who try it and don’t enjoy it probably went in thinking they weren’t going to like it. Your brain conspires to fulfill that prophecy cast by your biases and preconceptions. Not me! I find the open road therapeutic. As mile markers melt away, my mind marvels, mixing motion and meaning. My spirit soars across the universe while my body breathes easy, westbound on I-80. Thoughts gently build from a trickle of ideas to a stream of consciousness until they form a roaring river of random associations.  Here's a peek into what I'm talking about. ( JP's inner monologue somewhere near Sugarloaf PA ).  Too bad the weather has prevented me from taking a nice road trip photo for the donut blog. How about that cloud photo you took last week? Feels like a good road trip shot. But wouldn't making folks believe it was taken on this road trip be disingenuous? More like poetic liberty... Or lying... So, what about stock p

Friends, There’s no better way to become self-conscious than by reading your conference call transcripts. Seeing your linguistic crutches on display can be embarrassing. On calls, I repeat words and short phrases multiple times as my brain tries to catch up with my mouth. If repetition is the key to mastery, I arguably sound masterful. Ironically, the faster I speak (perhaps a subconscious attempt to sound smarter), the more I seem to be stuttering (which has the opposite effect). It turns out that no matter how fast words come out of my mouth, the rate of the information I share appears to be constant. This means I really should try to slow down. Take a deep breath, be deliberate, pretend I’m eating a donut and savor each word. Speaking of repetition, check out this photo. Some bureaucrats thought it would be a good idea to put a bunch of bicycle-themed signs on the same pole. I think there's still room for a couple more. You can never have too many bicycle signs... or too much co

Friends, Stop me if you've heard this one before. A man walks into a bar looking for a lawyer. The bartender says "you won't find any here... they need to pass the bar." Speaking of which, my daughter officially passed the bar last week and can now practice law in Colorado. She can also breathe easier, take a break from all that studying and, who knows, perhaps even stop at a bar once in a while. Or... celebrate in style with a Voodoo doughnut. Please join me in congratulating Verónica González, Esq., who will make a fabulous attorney. Happy Friday!