Good morning my lovely readers. I am surprising you with a rare morning post. I have completed the digitizing of over 790 family slides and optimization of same, with USB drives mailed to family. That was no small task the last month and a half. I wondered where my calm winters of creating in wool felt went. Then I realized that slide conversions took up all of that more tactile creative time. Feels good to have the slides done though. So many memories saved for next generations. Then, I cleaned out my art supply closet and moved office supplies to another closet to create more room for art supplies and found… slides of my former fine art work! AAAAAAUUUGGGH. So there will be more digitizing to do. However, at least I have a record of much of my creations, even if it does require an upgrade from analog to digital. That will happen later. First, I need to tell you about a top notch play we were able to see last week, at the opening.

The Pasadena Playhouse is back with a phenomenal presentation of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer
Tony Award-Winner Jefferson Mays, Broadway’s Sam Clemmett & Tony Award-Nominee Lauren Worshan delighted the audience in this classic play directed by Tony Award-Winner Darko Tresnjak. This play was made possible by a force of over 100 people who wanted the incredible craft of live theatre to rebound after the challenges of 2020. And they did it beautifully. The play runs through March 15, 2026. Worth a trip. Get your tickets soon!
https://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

Watching creative teams work and talking with our old friend Matthew Henerson, who played Count Johann Kilian Von Strack was a joy as we talked about how the arts, when done collaboratively, can create a form of magic. Fun to see the twinkle in his eye as he works with a high level team of creatives.

Back down to earth, I was delighted to finally receive my custom hair clip created by Sweet Romance Jewelry (www.SweetRomanceOnLine.com). You can also see and order creations on their Instagram page. Shelley worked above and beyond to get product to me after a shipping snafu caused the product to be “non-deliverable”. That seems to happen more in the last year, doesn’t it? Anyway, Shelley was great and I recommend the quality and price point. My husband said, “It’s very you”, which is exactly why I ordered it! Lily of the Valley is an interesting flower with meaningful qualities assigned to it. “Humility, Purity, Joy of Life!, New Beginnings”. How appropriate for the start of a new year.

My husband and I finally got our old bicycles cleaned off and bought a new tire pump (can’t even tell you how old the old one that broke was) and a new helmet for my husband. Now we are delighted to be rolling again! As we started off tentatively we soon realized why the phrase, “like riding a bike” caught on for things that you can do with ease after not doing them for an extended period of time. Which reminds me of a photo I just found of my father riding a bike while visiting my brother (then living in Florida) and dad must have been AT LEAST in his 70’s. Go dad, GO! It’s nice to see “mature” people do things they did as a child. Just a special kind of beautiful.

And a funny moment while running errands was due to spotting a vanity plate (very popular here in SoCal). I’m sure he’s a handyman and thought it was a great promotional idea. So no shade on him personally. However the first thing I thought after seeing it was, “Right, good luck with that.” Hah! I do believe life experiences have created a cynical streak in me! However laughter is always the best medicine, I have found. So let’s work on making his license plate a mandate this year, okay gentlemen? I know several of you who are doing a great job at being more evolved and proactive for the good of all. Keep it up!

Lastly, I want to cover the changes in younger employees in the U.S.A. We are seeing a lack of follow through with tasks, a lack of “work ethic” and a lack of the feeling of ownership of the work. This has happened across several industries and requires a lot of “hand holding” to get the basic processes done to completion. While most older workers would blame the upcoming generations as being “lazy” or “unengaged” I tend to ask myself WHY are these workers not invested in their work product? And the inevitable answer comes in the change in corporations and their lack on investment in, and training of, their work force. Instead, with too much bureaucracy, a lack of software skills training and little to no “creative team” building, the employees are hung out to dry. It does not do them any good to give the courtesy of a 2 week notice. Nor does it benefit them to follow through with clients to make sure they aren’t dropped in-between the cracks during transitions.

When I was in corporate America, the company strongly encouraged us to invest in their 401K program after the first year. They provided good benefits, even if the starting pay was very low, They scheduled time in our day for us to attend software workshops so that we were always at the head of the curve. And the managers checked in with us every 6 months to see if we were supported, engaged and growing. I’m not saying it was a perfect environment by any means. There was still the favoritism and nepotism that exist now. However, most employees felt like they were an important cog in the wheel. I don’t see that in the work situations this generation is experiencing. I do see smaller, independent businesses doing this, however, smaller businesses are not being supported by the government the way they should be. So they are pushing the boulder uphill every day.

So I am calling out our current national leadership to start investing in people again. That is what I do when I donate now. If it’s helping people instead of bottom line profit, that is where the support needs to go. We all know how focusing only on the Capitalistic greed has harmed our country. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see it. So that’s my advice for anyone who really wants to see the U.S.A., surviving and thriving.

My wish for you, may you be blessed with a creative team that knows what true value is. Peace until next time.