Peaceful Riots, The Reemergence of Small Town U.S.A., A Million Dollar Idea, Opportunity Abounds

“If you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

— Conan O’Brien

Well, here we are again, you, me, these words, and maybe a pc or phone. I’m sitting in my purple writing chair stretched out with my feet on the stool in front of me. It’s early here, the coffee maker is churning, and my Queen just arrived downstairs with a kiss good morning. She’s in the kitchen doing Queen activities, and I’m here making some soup.

So how are you? How is your world these days, is this your first pandemic? It is mine; it’s exciting times my friend, exciting times. My Queen went to Sam’s Club and Ikea yesterday; she’s getting things for our “rental.”   She was sharing that both stores have big gaping holes where products used to be. It’s now blank; this could be due to product shortages or maybe not as many employees to organize and stock shelves.

I’ve got some meetings today, mostly down in Indy, I’m going to run up and see my daughter and hand off some corn. I’ve been the corn man these last few days passing out bundles of Indiana Sweet Corn. One of our teammates grows it, it’s excellent, and so I buy some and share.

My kid and I went and met our friend Paul for a drink when I walked in, and an old friend I had not seen in years was standing in the front. I said to him, “Sir, you look like Matt Lehman,” and he said, “I am Matt Lehman.” I pulled down my mask and said, “Hi, Anson Ross Thompson!” The look on his face was priceless; it was good to see him and catch up.  I look a little different than when he and I were running together; he looks great as usual!

We came back home, met a contractor to fix some little things getting our home ready. We did a walkthrough; he has a punch list ready to go, we will have this house ready to go very soon. It will be interesting to see how others treat our castle. We will do a trial run for the next month and see what kind of folks are interested in our place. We are using a 7-day minimum and offering it to large corporations for their executives visiting from out of town.

In 5 days, my daughter is getting married. I woke up thinking about the wedding. How we now see everyone at weddings and funerals. Add in the birth of a child, and that is the old person trifecta.  Instead of old, I would say aged; I think that is a kinder term. But as the kids go to college and begin their professional lives, we sit back and watch their success. We wait for babies, weddings, and the inevitable funerals.

I’m meeting a friend that runs a medical facility today; we’re going to talk stem cells, I’m going to learn about some of the medical tools available to me as a 50 something man. I like to keep my engine clean, and in good running order, I plan on aging with the support and application of the latest medicine that can help keep one’s body and mind in a youthful state.

On our way home from having the drink with Paul, I needed to go to a CVS to get some gum. We dialed up the one downtown, and I pulled up, but it was boarded up, a casualty of the recent peaceful riots. There is still a lot of boards up on the windows, and I did notice some other places had closed.  Our city was hit by the double whammy of a pandemic and peaceful riots. Many urban areas were impacted, our other home city of Denver had a few black eyes as well. 

The burbs and smaller cities seem to have not had much going on with the peaceful riots. I think this chapter in American History will have some city folks rethink their choice and move to less populated areas. It might just cause a resurgence in small-town America, time will tell.

I have a million-dollar idea for Indianapolis. It’s a product that sells like hotcakes in Denver, but it not present in this city. The initial investment is minimal; I might find a young man, woman, or transgender and invest in them to make this a reality. I can’t believe that no one else has seized this opportunity.  I see things like this once or twice a year; I have an entrepreneurial glitch in my systems.  Maybe I’ll get with my friend Don and have his students start this company to help fund his nonprofit. Ideas are always popping in my mind; I call it popcorn brain.

I think with the unemployment situation, there are going to be some new startups by people that don’t have an option to sit by and wait for unemployment checks. I read an article yesterday about a family on the east coast, the report said he has applied to 200 different businesses, but could not find work. I am a little suspect of this story, 200 job applications and not one offer? Come on, man, are you kidding me, he looked like a capable fellow. If I were in his shoes, I would buy a used mower, I would push that mower around the neighborhoods looking for yards that needed to be mowed, and I would make cash money during the day.  I believe there is always a way to put food on the table for your family. Even during a pandemic, there is an opportunity.

I’ll leave you with that as my final thought, time to make some doughnuts, time to seek out opportunities to help build wealth, and plan for our future. It’s bright; I’m wearing shades, I see a golden light that I chase daily. It’s there if you believe it to be accurate, you can will yourself to success. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do; it’s up to you to craft a life that others seek to copy. We did, and for us, it has made all the difference.

“If you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

— Conan O’Brien