There's something about the tunes signaling the approach of your friendly neighborhood ice cream man. I don't care if you are seven or forty-seven years old, if you don't experience at least a small tingle of excitement when you hear that high-pitched jingle jangle melody, you are dead inside. Dead, I tell you. Definitely suffering from a full-blown case of Adultitis. So where do ice cream truck drivers get their Pied Piper-like music? I always though that maybe the trucks were custom built by Willy Wonka in a mysterious factory somewhere. I'd like to believe that is still a viable …
General
Step Back to Move Ahead
"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any talent." - Sir Issac Newton Are you experiencing patient attention? Humor me for a few minutes with this analogy. Put your hand in front of your face, with your palm about a 1/2 inch from your nose. (Thank you to my cooperative husband for being my model today.) …
The Best Day Ever
Imagine standing in front of a room full of one hundred people. You tell them to raise their hand if they consider themselves optimistic. How many people have their hands raised? Yep, all of them. Everybody thinks of themselves as optimistic; nobody will admit that they are pessimistic. When pressed by someone who knows them and thinks otherwise, they might admit, "I'm not pessimistic. I'm realistic." You'll never hear anyone say, "Yeah, that's me, pessimistic. I see the worst in every situation, my best days are way behind me, yesterday will always be better than tomorrow, and if …
Five Things I Remember About Home
I remember packing for a full day of outdoor adventure, exploring the ravine next to our house. It's funny how small it looks now, but back then it was the size of the Amazon rain forest. I learned that you are only limited by the size of your imagination. I remember falling to sleep on cool summer nights to a chorus of locusts and various other nighttime bugs. I learned that nature makes the best music. …
Just Don’t Collect Adultitis
We're now just a week away from the BIG MOVE. Next Friday we shall begin loading up a U-Haul and commence moving the Kim & Jason corporate headquarters to a renovated old brick house on the isthmus. I'm excited about the wood floors, skylights, cathedral ceiling, a front porch -- I haven't been able to sleep for three days! There are lots of things to do between now and then. One of the most underrated and thought-intensive aspects of the move revolves around my...buddies (I stole this label from my nieces. They use it to describe all of their tiny character-driven toys.) Like most …
The Ice Cream Man
Top 5 reasons why being an "Ice Cream Man" would be the BEST job in the world. 1. Free ice cream treats aplenty. (Tip: Get your free ice cream here, without having to make it your career.) 2. The jolly tunes. 3. Making kids smile all day long. 4. The freedom to drive around, wherever you want, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. 5. Living the "American Dream," and embracing the entreprenial mindset. Top 5 reasons why being an "Ice Cream Man" would be the absolute WORST job in the world. …
Trash Your TV, Load Up On Legos
I am officially on the record offering my disapproval of "being 40 years-old with no job and still living with your mom so you can spend more time building your Lego town." That being said... I am thoroughly impressed with the photos cartoonist Mark Anderson recently posted from his trip to Brickworld 2007. Wow. Pretty remarkable stuff. I'm not sure how someone would be able to hold down a full time job and create some of this stuff, but then again... …
Making Time for Play
I have a confession to make. Hello, my name is Kim Kotecki and I am addicted to getting my picture taken with fun characters. (both inanimate objects as well as humans, often in costume) I know this could error on the childish side of the spectrum, but I argue that it's my playful childlike side that motivates the addiction. Here's the scenario. Jason and I are out and about and we see a "friend," as I like to call them. I quickly ask him to get the camera and within seconds I have the memory captured forever that will eventually make it's way to the iPhoto files, destined to stay …
Are Grown-Ups Obsolete?
You might think my answer to that inquiry would obviously be a resounding yes. Chris Rako sent me this photo he took in London. I love it. And it caused me to seriously consider the question: are grown-ups obsolete? I hesitate to say yes, for fear that it would discount the wisdom of our elders. Fresh off our trip to San Diego for the National Speaker's Convention, I am struck by how as important as it is to have the energy and optimism of youth, the wisdom and experience of the veterans of life is just as important. Some of the best role models I see in the speaking profession -- and in …
I Wish Steve Carell Was My Uncle
Unknowingly something happens between the ages of 25 and 45 where you think you have to be "more serious." I was talking with someone last week who said that the parenting years are the hardest because you have so many responsibilities and have to be the "adult," so that life can remain sane. Ironically, all of the efforts to keep the scale balanced leaves you to one harsh reality...you're now officially boring. "It is our responsibilities, not ourselves, that we should take seriously." -Peter Ustinov No one starts out wanting to be boring, it just kind of happens. And no one wants to admit …