Friday, November 23, 2012

Light a Candle: Give Back and Give Thanks!

It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. 

This proverb has always been one of my favorite sayings.  Sometimes I think it should come with the following addendum, however, "although it is easier to curse the darkness." 

Because, lets face it, it is easier to complain.  Especially in this era of internet connectivity and social media platforms.  It's easy, tempting, satisfying, and even vindicating to rail against all that irritates, annoys, and infuriates you.  I'll admit that occassionally venting my spleen here on the interwebs provides a temporary high, but in the end, it does nothing.  In fact, for me this idea creates the mental image of a pitch black space with a bunch of people wandering around shouting what collectively seems like nonsense as all of their complaints combine.  And unless we're playing a metaphorical game of Marco Polo--this is pointless. 

Lighting a candle, on the other hand, seems inherently useful in this situation.  Light a candle in a dark room and you can better see yourself, the space in front of you, and depending on the strength of your candlelight you might even be able to see the bigger picture of the room itself, other people in it, and possible ways out. 

But enough with the metaphors,  lets talk reality. 

Photo provided by DaGoaty.


Lets light a candle in the darkness of Black Friday.  This is a candle we're lighting at my sister's store {moxie} on First Avenue in Hibbing.  We recently discovered the dire straits that the Hibbing Food Shelf is is, so today we're collecting non-perishable food item donations on their behalf.  The need is great for staples like pasta, pasta sauce, ramen noodles, canned vegetables, and canned fruit.  Anyone who brings in one or more non-perishable food items to the store today will receive 10% off their total purchase. 

Food drives and clothes not your thing?  You can always send a check directly to the Food Shelf or whatever charitable organization makes life a little brighter in Hibbing. 

Yesterday's Thanksgiving holiday and the days leading up to it were a wonderful exercise in being intentionally grateful.  Just the act of being thankful is a great way to light a candle of two, care to join me? 

Please comment on this blog post or adjacent Facebook posting, with something about Hibbing that you're grateful for. . .this could be a person, a kind deed, an organization, an activity, whatever.  Also feel free to seize an opportunity today to do a good deed--hold doors open, shovel someone's walk, write thank you cards, smile. 

Lets challenge the darkess of today by lighting many different candles on what could be known as "Give Back Friday."

Here's a match. 

Go. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

A Salute and a Big Thank You to Those in the Arena

It's not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the who, at the worst, if he fails at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.
--Theodore Roosevelt
"Citizenship in a Republic"
Speech at the Sorbonne
Paris, April 23, 1910

The above text is one of my all time favorite quotes and today I dedicate it to the amazing entrepreneurs of Hibbing.  Despite the trials of the recession and other odds that can at time, seem insurmountable;  you keep going.  You give us cheery shops to buy gifts for others or something a little special for ourselves.  You provide inviting spaces to stop and refuel with delicious food on a cold winter day.  Your taxes and donations to community causes make our town a better place. 

And in a time when times are tough, your storefronts (still full) give people like me a reason to hope. 

It may seem like a small matter to those on the outside, but please know there are people who see the long hours you work and sacrifices you make to bring your dreams to reality and make our community a better place to live. 

I hope you all will have some time to celebrate the holiday with those you love and afterwards, I hope more and more people will chose to recognize your dedication with their dollars by shopping local. 

November 24: Small Business Saturday. 

See you out there. 

Note: For those of you interested in some additional perspective on the "shop local" movement.  I'd encourage you to check out the following links:

Buy Local Cartoon by Brad J. Aldridge

Don't Just Buy Local, Buy Personal by Jeff Haden