Passion still needed in a ‘nice’ world

Written by Shelley Plett Tuesday, 22 February 2011 17:05

“You taught me to be nice, so nice that now I am so full of niceness, I have no sense of right and wrong, no outrage, no passion.”—Garrison Keillor

 

I was reading a marketing blog after searching for something completely non-related to marketing blogs, because that’s how search engines work.

Since it was only seven paragraphs long and fate and Bing apparently thought I needed to read it, I did.

It was titled, “All things to all people,” and went on to explain why being “this” is unachievable. The author used a percentage that I’d heard somewhere before, the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of a businesses’ business comes from 20 percent of its customers.

I believe it and I think it crosses over to other...

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Valentine’s Day: Ain’t it sweet?

Written by Shelley Plett Tuesday, 08 February 2011 15:38

In 270 A.D., the Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young battle-worthy males because he believed married men made second-rate soldiers. He wanted a land full of fighters, not lovers.

A born romantic turned bishop named Valentine believed that marriage was intended by God and refused to obey this law. To aide in continuing this natural process, he continued to secretly perform wedding ceremonies for young couples. Well, until he was caught and sentenced to die for his crimes.

In a classic tale of boy meets the wrong girl, Valentine befriended Emperor Claudius’s daughter. Through secretly written love letters, he signed “from your Valentine.”

The idea of Valentine’s Day was born. And luckily, these days you’re...

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It’s true: Life can turn on a dime

Written by Shelley Plett Tuesday, 25 January 2011 16:24

“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test and don't ask why. It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time”

—“Good Riddance,” Green Day

 

Sometimes, despite hours of trying to find new creative words to make a point, it turns out that nothing says it like a cliche.

Life can turn on a dime.

For Douglas Hoesli, it did just that. His dime spun on black ice on the night of Dec. 23. When he left his home in Nebraska heading toward Salina, he was a carefree 22-year-old going to spend the holidays with his parents and brothers.

But within 20 miles of his destination, his mangled car was being pried apart with the jaws of life and he...

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Twain change is pure censorship

Written by Shelley Plett Tuesday, 11 January 2011 17:13

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” —Mark Twain

 

I don’t watch much reality TV. There is one show in particular that perfectly sums up why. It’s called “Sister Wives.”

I watched part of two episodes to get a feel of what it was about. My interpretation of the premise of the show is this: a polygamist man trying to come off as a good guy juggles his multiple wives.

The last partial episode I saw was the man (Kody) “courting” his next “soul-mate,” as his prospective next wife so sweetly labeled him.

I believe in soul-mates (as in one-on-one). And I believe in the idea of marriage (again...

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