Derby Party, Rising Prices, Returning to the Valley
“The rules of the track work well for life. Roller derby is life in a tiny circle. You can only go forward, even if you find yourself turned around, facing the wrong way. There’s speed, unpredictability, and danger. You can’t be sure what’s going to happen, you don’t always know when you’ll stop, and it appears most people are out to get you. You will fall. You will get hurt. But you will get up again.” — Pamela Ribon
Hello, lovely beautiful sexy, and fanciful people. I am looking at a fantastic sunrise; it’s another gorgeous day in paradise. My Queen is asleep upstairs, Bay is in her room, and our company is in their suite. The coffee is made, the fireplace is burning to my right, PVHT is out scouting for deer. We’re getting about five to ten deer a day now; they visit, hang out in the yard and then move on. Spring is here.
Friday morning, I joined other thought leaders on our “let it go and begin again” call. This call was started last April to address the needs of leaders in our community and how we could provide leadership in a time of a pandemic. We now have bridged communities with folks joining from the Midwest. It’s a buffet for the mind every Friday morning.
Friday’s theme was how one’s life had changed in the last year. What did you do to inspire others? How did you keep a positive outlook? We all have different experiences, but collectively are looking at this time as the end of whatever this last year was melding into something new and bold. For many of us, we are better people today than we were a year ago. All of us slowed down, leaned in, and found a new groove to show and grow.
Yesterday we attended a derby party; as our friends told us a few weeks ago about their seersucker suits and large derby hats, my Queen and I hatched an idea to show up as roller derby folks. We had helmets, elbow and knee pads, roller derby shirts, and of course, roller skates tied around our necks.
We attended two derby parties, the first at our local fav Brooks Place Tavern and then, after a bit of food, headed to The Well. We got home about 6:00. We all threw on party pants, Bay and I played some Gin, my Queen cooked supper. We dined on a wholesome bevy of healthy food, a cornucopia of goodness; we got to bed at a reasonable time. Today is a day of chores, packing, and getting ready for our three-day journey back to Indiana.
We have an Air B and B in Kansas and one in Illinois; we will take our time enjoying the journey listening to an audiobook, stopping every two hours letting PVHT stretch her legs. We have learned this past year that one should enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Our travels to and from our homes have become an EPIC time of love, joy, and travel.
Our friends Randy and Tammy have enjoyed their time; we get up, they hang out on the deck looking out over the mountains. They will be here until Tuesday; Bay will check on the cats and our plants when we are back east. We are supposed to get some snow tomorrow; it’s 70 plus degrees today; we are leaving just in time to avoid some more spring snowfalls.
Today marks the second year of our kid joining our company; she’s doing well, had a great week this past week. Overall our team is doing well these days; we are growing, we have invested in some new tools, it’s a fun time at The Thompson Group. In July, we will again attend the Elevation Celebration using our bus as our centerpiece. We will offer the 10000 plus attendees our free photo booth and give away swag to better connect with our community. We will fly some of our Indiana team in for the event, a fun weekend of meeting, greeting, eating, and drinking.
I just got a text about our group meeting for brunch. Each Sunday, 12 to 18 of us gather at the Perk for brunch and then go on about our day. I’m not sure if our crew will want to make the trek down or stay here. I’ll let them decide; I’m a go-along, get-along type of fellow. You do you, I’ll do me, and life can be a blissful experience of kindness and understanding.
As we enter the fifth month of this year, I would encourage you to take some time to reflect on how this year has gone for you and your family. In January, we celebrated our granddaughter’s birthday and arrived at our newly remodeled home in February; we were lucky to get to spend some time in Mexico with some family and friends. In March, I married my Queen, and we headed down to Texas for some alone time.
April was a blur, not many events, just focusing on our team and making adjustments to our firm to continue on our magical journey. And now, here we sit in May. May is our Indiana month, a time to see family, friends, clients, and others. We will return to CO in early June, staying the summer on top of our mountain.
How have you fared? Are you happy? Is life what you want, or do you need to make a couple of minor changes to experience your best self? As the weather changes, I expect us to move more; long urban walks with our pup await us when we get back to our Midwest home. Starting in June, we will begin Air B and Bing our Indy home. We have meetings with our property manager when we return to get the contracts signed, the house ready to welcome guests, and the income invested in cryptocurrency.
I’ll close on a note of awareness, prices are starting to climb, and they will continue to rise. Inflation is coming; you can dump a few trillion dollars into an economy and not have inflation. Gas and food prices are on the rise and if you are planning on doing any construction project, add about 30% to account for the rising costs of building materials. I think the economy will take off like a rocket, but I’m concerned the lower-wage earners are in for a rough time. Be aware, save and spend accordingly. I’ll be back tomorrow sharing my last soup from my mountain top; it’s time for us to return to the valley.
“The rules of the track work well for life. Roller derby is life in a tiny circle. You can only go forward, even if you find yourself turned around, facing the wrong way. There’s speed, unpredictability, and danger. You can’t be sure what’s going to happen, you don’t always know when you’ll stop, and it appears most people are out to get you. You will fall. You will get hurt. But you will get up again.” — Pamela Ribon