Libraries As a Litmus Test

     You can judge a town’s quality of life by visiting its library.
     During the afternoon, an author spoke to a woman’s book club gathered at the library in my town. Two attendees sported party hats. They celebrated the one year birthday of our new library building.
     Later that evening, a chamber music quartet performed in the same room.
     Statistics offer a quality of life clue. Since the opening of the new library building, thousands more books have been checked out.
     Another quality of life indicator was evident outside. Children’s bicycles were parked in a bike rack. The bicycles were not locked.
     A new library building, cultural events, and increased reading by the public, suggest that my town is a good place to live.

Poise and Respect

     They called it a horse show but it wasn’t about horses.
     Teenage girls in Massachusetts competed in what’s called a hunt seat equitation. Judges evaluated the riders instead of the animals. Poise factored into the grading.
     Poise is a dignified, self confident manner.
     Some people in the world exude poise. Other individuals come across as unrefined. During stressful circumstances, ever notice how some people remain poised while others loose their cools?
     Poise earns more than ribbons at a horse show. Poise earns respect.

Stepping Up by Reaching Down

     While strolling in a conservation area, I noticed a soda can laying in the woods. It contained a residual amount of ginger ale. Ants crawled inside it, attracted to sugar.
     I contemplated carrying the can through the woods to my car, and from my car to a trash bin. What gave me pause were all those ants. They were miniscule. Some of them might get loose in my car, even if I crushed the can.

     This hiking area was brand new. Two Boy Scouts had blazed trails into it. They had pledged to maintain the pathways.
     Other people had visited the setting ahead of me. Some of them had left behind trash. I came across an empty pack of cigarettes, a coffee cup, and that can of soda.
     I gathered the debris, including the can, and brought it to my car. What motivated my action was the efforts of those Boy Scouts. They had taken an initiative, and without compensation done something for the betterment of my town.
     People step up when they know others are stepping up.

Eyeing a Trend

      Do the eyes catch your eye?
     I visited the young adult section of a bookstore. The covers of several books, all of them new releases, featured closeups of eyes.
     This preponderance of eyes can't be a coincidence. It must be a trend. Publishers are pumping out YA book covers featuring tight compositions of body parts, notably eyes, lips, and hand holding. 
     All to often, young adult literature follows trends. First came the novel Twilight. Afterwards, publishers regurgitated paranormal novels into bookstores. The same thing happened following the publication of The Hunger Games. Dystopian books filled the shelves.
     The authors of Twilight and The Hunger Games did not follow trends. They did their own things.  I wish authors and illustrators would spurn trends and follow their own instincts. When creators follow trends, they’re not being all that creative.

Somebody to Recognize

     I stuck up a conversation with a stranger. He was begging on the streets of Boston. One of his feet was missing from cancer.
     He told me he’s a veteran. I asked him about his experiences in the Army. He shared a story about his deployment to Panama. The man was well spoken. We enjoyed the conversation.
     Years ago, I would have handed a donation to this man and kept moving. Nowadays I also chat with homeless people. My approach changed after reading books about the late Mother Teresa. She pointed out that it’s not only a lack of money, but a lack of love, that causes the destitute to suffer.
     Here is one such quotation from her: “People (those who are homeless) have forgotten what the human touch is, what it is to smile, for somebody to smile at them, somebody to recognize them, somebody to wish them well. The terrible thing is to be unwanted.”

Editing Lapse

     Something is wrong with this portrait. The problem isn’t obvious but it’s evident with careful observation.
     An executive stood beside a shipping desk. He posed for an article about bar code technology. The story was published in a trade journal. 
     After the photo shoot, I edited the images and sent them along to an art director. He was happy with them.
     Long after the story was published, I again looked over the images. That’s when I detected the problem. The man’s finger—his middle finger—protrudes alone.
     Oops!
     The awkward positioning of the finger went undetected during the portrait session. But I should have noticed it during the edit. Perhaps I was up against a deadline and didn’t pay enough attention. Perhaps my eyes were bleary from inspecting one photo after another.
     Whatever the reason, I was careless.
     Professionalism has nothing to do with talent or skill. It’s all about conduct, appearance, and a work ethic that includes attention to details.

Snubbing The Rule of Scarcity

Lobsters are steamed during a clambake at a sportsman's club in Massachusetts.

     Lobsters are expensive. I won’t buy them. The prices are bolstered by the rule of scarcity: When a product is scarce, demand for it increases along with costs.
     Marketers take this rule one step further. They create a perception of scarcity even if products are abundant. It’s done with limited time offers, or warnings that products might sell out. Every Christmas, some parents scramble—and pay higher prices—for ‘must have’ toys.
     Too many people are suckers to the rule of scarcity. Self awareness would help them.
      I visited a Toyota showroom with my father. We negotiated with a salesman over the price of a car. During the conversation, another employee sauntered over. He whispered something into the salesman’s ear. The salesman grimaced. He informed us of a possible mix up. The car we were negotiating over might not be available. He told us to sit tight. Someone in charge would get to the bottom of the situation.
     I sensed a ploy. The salesman and his colleague were creating a perception of scarcity. Their tactic rubbed me the wrong way. My father and I responded to this perception of scarcity with a demonstration of scarcity. We said goodbye, walked out the door, and never came back.