The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 062, for real

Friday, March 17, 2023

Recipients:

Kelli and Meredith @ First Interstate Bank, Cherry Creek

We were up against a work deadline on my actual birthday, so I took off the next available Friday, which happened to be St. Patrick's Day. 

Part of my day was about doing some nice things for myself -- fun, creative, pampering. 

The other part was about getting some errands done. 

You may be thinking, "Oooh, errands. The excitement!"

Well, yes. 

I was actually looking forward to getting some things checked off my list. Working from home for the last 15 years made me forget about silly little things like business hours. I now have an extremely busy J-O-B now, with limited time to do things like eating a bit of lunch, never mind calling the insurance company or the plumber.

How busy, you ask? So busy that I had been unable to find time to visit a brick-and-mortar branch of my bank even though one exists two doors down from my office. Yeah. I had to take a day off to make that happen.

My mother had sent me a check at Christmas meant for the four of us. The problem was that she made the check out to "Michelle, Mike & the boys". I was pretty sure my bank wouldn't be able to cash it, but I thought it'd be worthwhile to ask someone in person.

Kelli was at the teller window, so I handed the check to her and explained my dilemma. She looked at it and after a few minutes of consideration, called over Meredith.

Could Mike sign it as well? 

Yes, but "the boys" are named as well. 

And I imagine they are minors? said she. 

Yep, said I. 

They were trying so hard to figure out what in the world to do so cashing the check would be legal, and being so polite about it, and finally we all ended up in fits of giggles. In the end they couldn't do it, but it was a lovely exchange and we all agreed wholeheartedly that it was the thought that counted.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 062...I mean, No. 066

Friday, April 4, 2023

Recipients:

The Secret Sisters ~  Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle

PROLOGUE

I grabbed the award at the top of the stack in my desk, not realizing I still had a few stashed in my purse. The next one should have been 062, not 066. Now I had a dilemma. Should I redo The Secret Sisters BSA on 062 and make a new 066? Or should I accept the imperfection and just use the one I wrote up as-is?

Naturally, I examined the situation in a calm and thoughtful way, and made my decision in a timely fashion.

...

Pfft. Come now, people. Do you not know me at all?

We saw The Secret Sisters on Sunday, January 22, 2023.

I filled out the award on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

Today is Friday, April 7, 2023.

Perfectionism can be a powerful paralyzing agent.

THE STORY

We've been fans of The Secret Sisters since hearing their dreamy harmonies on John Paul White's "I've Been Over This Before" from his Beulah album. (That song still gives me honest-to goodness goosebumps.) 

We heard there were tickets available to see them and Jake Blount perform at a live taping of eTown in Boulder, and snapped them up right away. We had a lovely Happy Hour dinner at the Boulderado and arrived early enough that we were able to sit in the front row. 

Oh, dear ones. This show. It was marvelous, and mesmerizing. They have the same captivating energy as JPW. Everyone was transfixed. You could hear a pin drop. They played a bunch of songs from their newest release, "Saturn Return". Gorgeous vocals, stirring lyrics. We just loved it. And we found them funny and charming during the interview portion of the program. 

During their stage banter, they mentioned having felt, at times, like they were behind schedule compared to their peers. 

The notion made me want to jump out of my skin. 

For one thing, it's infinitely relatable. More powerful, though, was the indignation I felt on their behalf. I wanted to tell them, "Hey, what you do is no less than MAGIC as far as I'm concerned. Listening to your music is like balm for my poor abraded soul, and you don't ever have to feel like you're not measuring up, OK?" I had the opportunity to say as much when Lydia stopped by the merch table after the show. She shared that now that they're both moms, there's not nearly enough time to be concerned about those negative thoughts as there once was. I gave her a hug, and we chatted some more, and she gave me a hug. So sweet!

On the way home, Mike and I were listening to Saturn Return on Spotify and discussing the show as I held the signed CD in my hands. Mike, observing my happiness, said, "You should give them a BRIGHT SPOT Award." It had crossed my mind. Seeing them certainly gave me a lift. But I had decided not to. Not enough time at the merch table. And it would have meant breaking another rule floating around in my head: Don't give an award to someone famous. I'd considered giving awards to people like Robert Fulghum, Julia Cameron, and Elizabeth Gilbert because of the impact they've had on my life and creativity. Ultimately I decided the gesture would be too...self-promotional? Maybe they'd think the award was an attention-grab?

Then a song came on, one I'd heard yet didn't know well. I turned the CD over, found the track title, and laughed.

The song?

Late Bloomer.

Well, if that isn't a sign from the Universe, I don't know what is.

EPILOGUE

Perfectionism strikes again. 

I wanted to write a letter to go with the award. There's just not enough space on that little piece of cardstock to express everything I wanted to say. 

I started the letter. 

And I kept starting over. 

Then I switched to writing the post first, and kept starting that over. 

Then I went back to the letter. 

I finished it. 

I agonized over the fact that it's three one-sided sheets of stationery. 

I worried that the sisters would think I was a crazy stalker-lady or just a straight-up weirdo, or find my earnestness too cringeworthy for words.

Then I thought, Am I really going to ditch the whole thing because I'm worried about what they might think? Or am I going to listen to my own wise words and send the thing?

Exactly.

Grasping my courage in both hands, drove to the post office and popped it into the mailbox.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 061

Friday, August 6, 2022

Recipient:

Stephen @ Best Buy, Glendale

[Author's Note: It had been months since I had given an award. I wanted to catch up with the writing bit before recommencing, but I was too busy being a workaholic at my new gig. (More on that another time.) Ah, best laid plans.]

Moratorium on BSAs be damned!

He was just that good.

Stephen with a PH. My favorite kind of salesperson. Personable. Intelligent. Knowledgeable.

I needed a dual monitor setup for my home office for those times when I needed to work remotely, and he guided me to a screamin' good deal on a couple of screens while holding up his end of a conversation that included the meaning of life and the comparative value of knowledge that comes easily versus that which has to be acquired via sheer grit.

I am sitting in front of those devices now, writing in the easy comfort of a great deal of visual real estate, thanks to Stephen at Best Buy.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 060

Thursday, August 4, 2022

Recipient:

Valerie @ Soulstice, Rockport, MA

First of all, I just need to brag on this shop.

I have been coming here for years, always a fan of their silver jewelry. 

Love their goods, love their store, love their sign.

Naturally, when we were visiting Massachusetts over the summer, we had to make a trip up to Rockport and stop by.

Valerie, the owner, was working on the forearm of another patron when we came in. (Mike had a funny moment of thinking, "My God! She's got nerves of steel!" as the young woman in the chair barely blinked while getting her tattoo, until he realized the tool was a long narrow metal-tipped bottle and not a needled drill.) 

I had been thinking of getting a tattoo of the spiral I designed (and now use on the BSAs) on my wrist; now I was thinking I could have Valerie create a temporary tattoo as a trial run. 

She was amazing! She nailed it --  not an easy feat, given the small size and fiddly negative space of the design -- while answering my questions about jagua ink and her business.

Her artistry allowed me to experience my idea in real life, without the permanent consequences. 

(Now that I have, it's time to find someone to do the real thing in Denver.)

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 059

 Thursday, July 14, 2022

Recipient:

Joe @ Coors Field, Denver

As I am fond of saying, it's the little things.

Mike and I and the boys attended a Rockies game with his folks, his Aunt Patti and Cousin Olivia, the latter two visiting Denver for a few days. 

We had a wonderful time. 

Right up to the point of driving home. 

Faced with a line of cars bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see, we were preparing for a long wait when Joe pointed an alternate route which circumvented the crush of traffic. 

That's good enough for me. 😀

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 058

 Wednesday, May 22, 2023

Recipient:

Bianca @ Denver Health

I wish I could have taken a picture of Bianca, but that would have meant interrupting her during her very busy day, and I didn't want to get in her way. 

Let us simply say it's a pleasure to cross paths with someone who's not only good at their job, but also enjoys it, and considers it part of their job to make the other person feel comfortable.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 056 and No. 057

 Saturday, May 14, 2022

Recipients:

Aoifa and brother / Taylor Ashton @ First Baptist Church Denver, Capitol Hill

Mike and I were so excited to see Aoifa O'Donovan, especially in a small, low-key venue. What we were *not* anticipating was the pre-headliner entertainment.

The small blond girl (attendee, sitting next to us with her little brother and her parents) and large blond man (opening act, one man with his banjo and guitar) kept us in absolute stitches.