Tag: I LIKE THAT STORY

  • The Curse of the Chinese Laundry

    I was listening to an historian talk about a mostly forgotten part of American history: Chinese laundries. They were both a cliché and a reality. And they were a fixture of the urban landscape about 100 years ago. You’d bring in your crumpled mess of clothes on a Monday and pick them up, freshly cleaned, […]

  • Sleepless In Sioux Falls

    Story #1 People spend a lot of time freaking out about sleep. There was a time in my life when sleep was a big no-no. Famous people boasted about how little sleep they needed and what a waste of time it was. I remember a comedian saying he slept only about four hours a night […]

  • About Beginning and Ending

    Story 1 Business seems to be measured by income, goals and year-to-year comparisons. One particular year was rough. Each month was fraught with doubt, cancellations, worry and anxiety. I pushed through to the end of the year, took three days off for Christmas and came back to the office to start a new year. I […]

  • Your Christmas Present

    Family Putting Up Christmas Tree Enjoying Holiday Time

    I thought I’d send you a Christmas present before the big day. Take time to read this. Then maybe read it again and share it with others who may need it. It was snowing and slippery and busy and hectic. The week before Christmas and Libby and I decided to get some shopping done at […]

  • That’s A Good Story

    Family Gathering Tell A Good Story

    I’ll bet you have a good story—probably a few. But a good story has a very important element, one that I had completely disregarded until recently. Here are a couple of examples. A friend of mine, Todd, worked for a summer scouting fires for the Forest Service. It was a beautiful day. Workers were repairing […]

  • “Nahh, I’m Good!”…

    Empty Gas Tank I Like That Story Jeff Gould

    These three words have gotten me in so much trouble!! “Jeff, you need help moving that refrigerator?”“Nahh, I’m good…” “Jeff, have you ever moved a house before? Do you need building permits?” “Nahh, I’m good…” “Jeff, before you take that job, I know someone who can…” “Nahh, I’m good…”  “Are you sure this gravel road is the […]

  • I Wish I Would’ve…

    This story starts with a film, moves to you, then to a mind-blowing point and then back to you. Feel free to share it with those who could use it ?  The Movie There is a certain scene in just about every movie involving trains. The train is hurtling down the tracks at breakneck speed. […]

  • Wonderful Horrible Air Conditioning

    Life without air conditioning was horrible. We used fans. Fans that would push the murky hot air around breathless rooms that felt like ovens with furniture. My dad was an engineer who said we should use box fans to push the hot air out of the house and open the windows to let the cooler […]

  • Stuff, Good Stuff and Junk

    I have inherited a bunch of Junk, some Stuff and some Good Stuff. The trouble is sorting out which is which! My parents have both passed on and as the sentimental one in the family, I was presented with a U-Haul crammed full of an assortment of the above. Sigh.  As I sort through the stacks I have […]

  • Seeds and Weeds

    What’s the worst sentence ever uttered by any kid in the summer months?   “I have to weed the garden.”   These gardens stretch out like miles of oppression and suffering even if they are only a few square feet. I can tell you for a fact that I hated gardens when I was a kid […]