GOOD ENOUGH

If you hear of someone described as a "good boy", what characteristics come to mind? If you hear of someone described as a "good girl", are the characteristics the same?

Is good enough?

Today is my first official work day to not be at work anymore; in the strict vocational concept of work. Over my years of working a lot of my reading was in books of leadership, branding, marketing, motivation and such. There is a list of books of this genre that have endured. One is Jim Collins' book, "Good To Great". The most often quoted line from the book, the one people recite to prove they read it is: "Good is the enemy of great." Is it really? Now, I'm looking at things from a different perspective.

I remember back when shopping was done at stores like Sears, Montgomery Ward, OTASCO, etc. They used a marketing technique to sell the most expensive stuff like lawn mowers and washing machines. In pictures and in point-of-sale displays they would have three--lets say TVs: GOOD, BETTER and BEST. Who wouldn't want the BEST. I always felt kind of sorry for the BETTER. I mean, who's going to choose that? If you don't care whether the rabbit ears were built in, or you didn't need dual 6 inch speakers, GOOD was enough. But if you going to buy the better, why not go big and get the BEST? That's was their bet.

There was a time when living the GOOD life was good enough. Even Martha Stewart believed in the goodness of good. Remember when she would show us important things like how to take the core out of a head of lettuce? She would establish its value by proclaiming: "It's a good thing!" By golly Martha said so, good is enough.

I heard a comedian do a bit about every house needing to have at least one good chair in the living room. (I'm pretty sure he stole the idea from a skit that Tom Hanks did on SNL.) You needed at least one quality chair for when Pops came to visit. As soon as he would walk in the door, someone would say, "Let Pops have the GOOD chair."

We're visiting one of the places in South Texas where retirees go for the winter. We're renting a lovely "park model" trailer and enjoying the 80 degree weather. It has a microwave, a coffee maker, a full-size fridge, AND a good chair.

There's a comic named Dusty Slay I really like. He talks about different kinds of money: well-earned money, found money, fast money, easy money. You get the idea. Dusty says that in his home growing up they had one kind of money: Good Money. He says one day he laid his bike in the yard rather than using the kickstand. His dad told him, "You better take care of the bike. I made Good Money for that."

While we're here in the compound with folks from Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and other frigid parts, I'm looking for good weather, good fellowship, good friends, good food, good times and a good memory or so.

The hard part so far (Day two), is adjusting to the schedule. Dinner is at 4:30p, curfew is at 8:00p, lights-out is at 9:00p. WHY!?

My Amazing-Missus woke me up around 6:00a getting ready to go to the crafts building for Busy B's sewing. It's now 10:30a and I feel like I've been up all day. I'm hoping for lunch around 11:00a, and then a good nap in the good chair. Texas Hold'em is at 1:00p and there's four dollars with of good money at stake. I need to have my wits about me.

It's all good.