Vinyl Love at Costco is a NO GO! A Celebration of Life, An Idea to Change the Trajectory of our Nation

“To win the big stakes in this changed world, you must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that it has of value, the spirit that serves as the life-blood of our own country – your opportunity and mine, to develop and market our talents.”
— Napoleon Hill 

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or whenever you are reading these words, it’s morning here, 7:00 a.m., coffee is made, my wife is snuggled in bed with our pup, cousin is sleeping, I’m putting my morning thoughts down on a glowing white screen.  I have no idea where this one is going to go.

We started working from home; we got our work done and headed to the Indy office with my cousin in tow.  We went and grabbed a bite of lunch and then headed to Costco to get some supplies.  I have shared before one of my new favorite things is to hand out random vinyl albums from the 1960s with artists like Jimmy Swaggart and The Four Freshman. 

I took a few albums with me into Costco and randomly handed them out to customers and employees.  I would say, “excuse me, I bought this for you; I hear you are a big Paul Anka fan!”  The customer or employee would smile and take the vinyl.  As I passed out my last two albums, one to a young lady who was stocking a shelf and another to a young man moving some boxes, I was approached by security and told to leave the store.

I asked why he shared I could not be passing out anything at Costco.  I shared with him how my father had bought them, and I had decided to share them with the world; his mask face was not having any of my silliness.   I said can I purchase my goods? He said no if you keep passing out albums!  I said, “Ok, I didn’t know it was not allowed to give gifts in your store; I’ll stop sharing my vinyl love.”  So, if you go to Costco, do not give away anything!   He did say he got multiple reports about me; I guess I caused a little concern for the shoppers handing out my goodness.

After shopping, we got home; I worked and ran a Zoom before meeting a friend for a drink.  We went to the iconic Dugout Bar in our neighborhood; he’s a small business owner, business is excellent, he just returned from Mexico, he frequently travels with his family.  He went to Turkey and Greece earlier this year; he shared with me the call to prayer tradition in the Muslim religion; there is a lot I do not know about other religions, it was an exciting conversation. Finally, I headed home and sat in the kitchen and dined with my wife and cousin; we attempted to solve all the world problems, I don’t think we made any movement, but we are trying.

My cousin and I see the world through a different lens; he is not wrong, nor am I; we just see things differently, and it’s interesting to discuss various topics and see where we differ. It’s nice to have an open, honest conversation about life and learn another view that differs from my own. Although I’m an open-minded person looking to grow, I think most today are steadfast in their beliefs; there is no reason for discussion; the mind has been made.  I believe this is not good for society.

The ladies are up, my wife and pup; it’s breakfast time for Parker Van Halen; she will eat, then go about her business.  Soon she will bring me toys to throw, and we’ll do that for a few moments before she gets in her spot on the couch; I love our dog!  We will work from home this morning; I suspect we will knock off this afternoon once our work is completed.   I see a couple of dog walks and a late lunch in our neighborhood to end our work week.  As I’m typing these words, the pup is sneezing; this makes me smile; dog sneezes are the best.

Please do not share with Dr. Tony, but we are having a small gathering at our home; we are celebrating the life of two men.  Rick and Randy both have contributed to society; both are kind, caring. I think it is sad to wait until they die to celebrate their life, so our celebration will be with two very alive men, we will celebrate with a group, we will not social distance, we will hug all in attendance.

Yesterday was Veterans Day, a day off for some; we worked as a company; I have an idea these days, which could improve our country. My thought is after high school, every young man and woman has two options.  One option is to serve your country in the military; the other option is to help your country in peacekeeping.  Since the government has unlimited spending, they will get additional education based on their interests developed during their time of service in exchange for the two years. 

I was once a senior in high school; I was not ready for college; I went to Ball State University and nearly drank and smoked myself to death before turning it around and graduating with an undergraduate and graduate degree.  I have often wondered how my life might have been different if I had taken a couple of years, learned some discipline, and worked to serve my country in a military or peaceful position. I love my life, but where would I be had I had helped others? 

Just a thought, I wonder what you think?  Would society improve if we took folks from all walks of life, with different social situations, degrees of parents involvement, intelligence levels, and life experiences?  Let us do a trial run and then implement this in 2030.  Kids today would benefit from this and then can learn a trade or get a degree in something they found interesting during their two years of government service.  I think Isreal does something similar, just a thought.

Ok, a few lessons here, don’t pass out stuff at Costco, you can celebrate life before someone dies, and a little idea that might help our country come together and do some amazing things across the world.  Enjoy your Friday; I hope these words land with a soft, warm touch as this is how they were written.

“To win the big stakes in this changed world, you must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that it has of value, the spirit that serves as the life-blood of our own country – your opportunity and mine, to develop and market our talents.”
— Napoleon Hill